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AROUND    THE    WORLD 
WITH    A    KING 


Kalakaua,  King  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 


ROUND  the 
WORLD 
WITH     A 

KING 

By  WILLIAM    N.  ARMSTRONG 

A     MEMBER     OF     THE     CABINET     OF 
KALAKAUA,    THE    LAST    KING   OF    HAWAII 


JL 


NEW    YORK-    FREDERICK     A. 
STOKES     COMPANY-    PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  igo4 
By  William   N.   Armstrong 


All  rights  reiewed. 
Published  in  February,  1904 


THE  UNIVERSITY    PRESS 
CAMBRIDGE,     U.  S.  A. 


To  the  Memory  of  my  Brother 
THE  LATE  GENERAL  S.  C.  ARMSTRONG 


O 


358160 


I  shall  therefore  let  the  reader  know  that  it  is  not  the 
rarity  of  going  round  the  world  that  has  occasioned  this 
publication,  but  if  some  incidents  have  happened  in  such 
a  voyage,  as  either  have  not  happened  to  others,  or  as  no 
other  people,  though  performing  the  same  voyage,  have 
taken  notice  of,  then  this  account  may  be  worth  publish- 
ing, though  the  thing,  viz.,  the  voyage  round  the  world, 
be  m  itself  of  no  value. 

—  Daniel  Defoe,  "A  New  Voyage  Round  the  World  by 
a  Course  Never  Sailed  Before^ 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I 

Pack 
King  Kalakaua  Plans  a  Tour — The  First  Sovereign  to  Put  a  Girdle 

Around  the  World — Selects  His  Companions — His  Valet  —  Pro- 
poses to  Travel  Incognito — Scope  of  His  Tour — Delay  in  Publication 
of  This  Memoir  —  The  King  Addresses  His  Subjects  —  Ceremonies 
Attending  the  Departure  —  The  King's  Character — His  Minister 
and  Chamberlain  —  Kalakaua's  Knowledge  of  Royal  Etiquette  —  His 
Unfortunate  Predecessors — Theoretical  and  Practical  Astronomy  .     .         i 

CHAPTER   II 

Arrival  in  San  Francisco — Hoisting  the  Royal  Standard  —  The  King 
is  generously  Entertained  —  Visits  the  Legislature  —  "The  Colossus 
of  the  Pacific"  —  A  Chinese  Banquet  —  The  King,  Elated,  Requires 
Minister  to  Wear  Diplomatic  Uniform  —  The  Valet  Gets  Drunk  .     .       14 

CHAPTER    III 

Departure  for  Japan —  Logs  on  the  Ocean  —  Washington's  Birthday  — 
Losing  a  Day  —  Slapping  a  King  in  the  Face  —  Attempts  to  Instruct 
the  King  in  Political  Science — The  Conflict  of  Races  in  Hawaii  — 
Failure  of  Educational  Effort 20 

CHAPTER   IV 

The  Bay  of  Yedo  —  Fusyama  —  Saluted  by  Foreign  Warships — The 
King  Becomes  the  Guest  of  the  Japanese  Emperor  —  Lands  to  the 
Music  of  His  Own  National  Anthem  —  The  Secret  of  Our  Reception 
—  Lessons  in  Etiquette  —  Japanese  and  New  England  Bells     ...       27 

CHAPTER   V 

Visit  to  the  Emperor  at  Tokio  —  Reception  at  the  Palace  — The  Em- 
press  —  A  Lady  in  Waiting  —  Comparison  of  the  Emperor  and  the 
King  —  Lodged  in  the  Palace  of  the  Enriokwan — Robert  the  Valet 
Falls  Again  — The  Royal  Feather  Cloak  — The  Emperor  Returns 
the  King's  Visit  —  Dinners,  Luncheons,  and  Receptions  —  An  Im- 
perial Prince  Always  Present  with  the  King  —  Reflections  .     ...       35 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   VI 

Page 
The  Shrines  of   Shiba  —  Curious  Worship  —  The   King's  Aphorism  — 

The  Japanese  Press  Discusses  the  King  —  Curiosity  about  his  White 
Attendants  —  Count  Inouye,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  —  Invitation 
to  Prolong  the  Royal  Visit  — An  Important  Diplomatic  Event  —  Pro- 
posed Abrogation  of  an  Unjust  Treaty  between  Japan  and  Hawaii  — 
Delight  of  the  Emperor  and  His  Government —  Drafting  a  New 
Treaty  —  The  Great  European  Powers  Disturbed  Thereby     ...      45 

CHAPTER   VII 

Entertainments  in  Our  Palace  —  The  King  Receives  the  Representatives 
of  Foreign  Nations  —  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin's  Japanese  Descendants 
—  The  King  Carefully  Guarded — The  Position  of  the  Hawaiian 
Kingdom  in  the  Pacific  —  Its  Growth — The  Japanese  Character- - 
The  Sudden  Rise  of  the  People  and  Their  Reformations  —  Review  of 
Japanese  Troops  —  An  Earthquake — The  Skeleton  in  Our  Military 
Closet  —  The  Hawaiian  Army  and  Navy  —  A  Japanese  Drama  — 
The  King  Presents  a  Drop-Curtain  to  the  Theatre  —  The  Hawaiian 
Minister  Visits  Count  Inouye  —  His  Residence  —  Strange  Adventures 
of  Two  Japanese  Statesmen 52 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  King  Proposes  a  Matrimonial  Alliance  Between  the  Royal  Families 
of  Japan  and  Hawaii  —  The  Plan  Fails  —  The  King  Visits  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  Yokohama  —  Japanese  Views  Regarding  Christian 
Missions  —  Their  Political  Danger 62 


CHAPTER    IX 

Lunch  with  the  Imperial  Princes  —  Japanese  Women  —  Hawaiian  Use 
of  English  —  Dinner  in  Japanese  Style  at  the  Noblemen's  Club  — 
Japanese  Costumes  —  The  Geisha  Girls  and  the  Musicians  —  Visits 
to  the  Naval  Academy,  the  Military  Barracks,  Museums,  and  Facto- 
ries—  Dinner  with  the  Emperor — Decoration  of  the  King  and  His 
Suite  —  A  Like  Compliment  Paid  to  the  Emperor  —  Telegram  An- 
nouncing Assassination  of  the  Tsar  of  Russia  Suppressed  —  The 
Grand  Banquet — Reception  by  the  Empress  —  The  Assassination 
of  the  Tsar  Announced,  and  the  King  Leaves  —  A  Great  Ball  Post- 
poned—  The  Court  in  Mourning  —  The  Emperor  Dines  with  the 
King  in  the  Enriokwan,  and  Takes  Leave  of  Him  —  Presents  from 
the  Emperor 67 


CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER   X 

Departure  for  Yokohama,  Kobe,  and  Nagasaki  — The  Emperor  sends 
Imperial  Commissioners  with  His  Guest  —  Japanese  Evolution  — 
Kobe,  and  the  Old  Capital  of  Kioto— Mistakes  about  the  King's 
Identity — Visit  to  Osaka  —  Attempt  to  Dine  Incognito  at  Japanese 
Inn  — The  Disguise  Penetrated  —  Visit  to  an  Old  Missionary  in  Kobe 
—  The  Inland  Sea— Salutes— The  King's  Reflections  — Favours 
Buddhism  —  At  Nagasaki  —  Japanese  Navigation  —  Promiscuous 
Bathing  —  Imperial  Commissioners  Leave  at  the  Boundary  of  the 
Empire  — Chinese  and  Japanese  Morality  —  The  Steamer  Coaled  by 
Women  and  Children 7g 

CHAPTER    XI 

The  Yellow  Sea— The  King  Wishes  to  See  the  Emperor  of  China  — 

Decided  to  be  Impracticable  —  Shanghai  —  Received  by  the  Taotai 

An  American  Negro  in  China  — A  Large  Steamer  Placed  at  the 
King's  Service  — The  Boy  and  the  "  Cannibal  King  "  — Departure 
for  Tientsin  —  Danger  from  Pirates  —  The  Peiho  River  and  the  Taku 
Forts  — "Blood  is  Thicker  than  Water"  —  Received  at  Tientsin  by 
the  Taotai  and  Viceroy  Li  Hung  Chang's  Secretary  — Difficulties 
About  Visiting  Pekin  —  The  King  Only  a  Foreign  Devil  — Calling 
on  the  Viceroy — Li  Asks  Questions  and  Smokes  —  The  Viceroy 
Returns  the  King's  Call  and  Asks  More  Questions  —  His  Opinion 
About  the  Japanese— People  Gather  to  See  the  "Black  Foreign 
Devil"  —  Dinner  with  the  Viceroy  —  The  Viceroy's  Son  —  Chinese 
Democracy  —  Presents  from  the  Viceroy 88 

CHAPTER   XII 

Return  to  Shanghai  —  Cordial  Receptions  —  Chinese  After-Dinner  Cus- 
toms—  Sail  for  Hongkong  —  Chinese  Superstitions—  The  Missionary 
Misunderstands  Them loo 

CHAPTER   XIII 

At  Hongkong  —  The  King  Becomes  Queen  Victoria's  Guest  at  Govern- 
ment House  —  Conversations  with  the  Governor  —  Saluted  by  Forts 
and  Warships  —  Official  Announcement  in  English  and  Chinese  — 
A  Tramp  Steamer  Direct  to  Siam  —  Colonel  Mosby,  American 
Consul  —  Banquets  and  Other  Entertainments  —  Captain  Cook's 
Indiscretion  —  Reception  to  Chinese  Merchants  —  Importance  of 
Hongkong — British  Rule  —  The  King's  Nap  at  the  Banquet  —  A 
Lady's  Strategy  —  Chinese  Absorption  of  Christianity 104 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Page 
We  Sail  on  the  "Killarney"  for  Siam  —  The  Irish  Captain  and  the 

German   Valet — Cochin-China — The   Captain   Disturbs  the   King 

with  Stories  of  Piracy  —  Enter  Gulf  of  Siam  —  Received  at  Mouth  of 

Menan  River  by  Siamese  Officials  —  Reach  Bangkok  in  the    Royal 

Yacht — Tlie  Royal  Barge  —  Our  Reception  —  Siamese  Attendants  — 

"  The  Wine  of  the  Coral  Reef "       114 

CHAPTER   XV 

Pagodas  —  A  Floating  City  and  an  Amphibious  Population  —  Darwin 
Mistaken  —  Visit  to  the  King  of  Siam  —  The  King's  Conversation  — 
Cats  Disturb  the  Reception  —  Call  on  Second  King,  and  on  Uncle  of 
Siamese  King  —  Dinner  with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  — 
Drowning  of  a  Queen  and  Child  —  Sacredness  of  the  Royal  Person  — 
A  Costly  Cremation  —  The  Royal  Chapel —  Visits  from  the  Siamese 
King,  the  Second  King,  Princes,  and  Consular  Corps  —  The  Royal 
Elephants  —  A  Play  in  a  Court  Theatre  —  Siamese  Dancers  Sing  a 
Missionary  Hymn  —  Dinner  with  the  Siamese  King  —  Conferring  of 
Decorations  —  The  Durien  —  Kings  Say  Good-Bye  —  Buddhist  Rites 
to  Protect  Steamer  —  The  Chinese  in  Siam  —  Siamese  Statesmen  do 
Not  Understand  Christendom  —  Presents  of  Fruit 123 

CHAPTER   XVI 

Arrival  at  Singapore  —  The  King  Tired  of  Royal  Etiquette —  Visits  and 
Receives  the  Governor  —  Drive  over  the  Island  —  Importance  of  the 
Place — A  Colossal  Missionary  Station—  The  King  and  the  Tiger  — 
A  State  Banquet  —  Effect  of  the  "Climate"  on  Englishmen  in  the 
Tropics  —  Visit  to  the  Maharajah  of  Johore — His  Grand  Palace  — 
The  Sword  of  State  and  the  Great  Unibiella  —  The  Valet  and  the 
Feathered  Cloak  —  Tiffin  with  the  Maharajah  —  The  Sovereigns  Dis- 
cover Each  Other's  "Strawberry-Marks" — A  State  Banquet  — 
Dreams  of  Residence  in  Marble  Halls  —  Moonlight  and  Native  Music 
—  A  Morning  Scene  —  Farewell  to  Singapore  —  More  Trouble  for  the 
Valet  —  Loss  of  the  Feather  Cloak  —  Embarkation  for  Calcutta    .     .     136 

CHAPTER   XVII 

Brief  Visit  to  Malacca  —  Reception  at  Penang  by  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor —  A  Rich  Chinaman's  House  —  A  Nautch  Dancer's  Per- 
formance—  Hindu  Caste — Maulmain  —  Elephants  in  the  Lumber 
Yards — Animal  Intelligence  —  A  Burmese  Wedding  —  Rangoon  — 
Buddhist    Pagodas — Women's    Emancipation    in    Burmah  —  The 


CONTENTS  xiii 

Page 
Queen's  Birthday  in  the  East  —  The   British  Power  Everywhere  — 
A  Mohammedan  at  His  Prayers  —  Entering  the  Hooghly — "Ganga! 
Ganga!" 149 

CHAPTER    XVIII 

Reception  at  Calcutta  —  The  English  Civil  Service — The  Secret  of 
Britain's  Power  in  India  —  The  American  Negro  Problem  Compared 
with  Race  Problems  in  the  East—  The  Reign  of  the  "  Plug"  Hat  — 
An  Ex- King  of  Oude  —  Circumventing  the  King  —  Babu  Literature 

—  Robert  Again  Seeks  to  Rise  to  His  Hereditary  Level — Leave 
Calcutta  for  Bombay — Cooling  the  Train — Desolation  of  the  Coun- 
try—  Need  of  Irrigation  —  An  Indian  Statesman's  Views  on  European 
Civilisation  —The  King  Creates  a  New  Order  of  Merit  —  The  Sacred 
City  of  Benares  —  Visit  the  Temples  and  the  River  —  The  Monkey 
Temple  and  the  Imperturbable  Goat—  Priestly  Logic  —  Reception  at 
Bombay — Parsees  —  The  Towers  of  Silence  —  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jee- 
jeebhoy's  Magnificent  Residence 158 

CHAPTER   XIX 

From  Bombay  to  Suez  —  Some  Modest  British  Heroes  —  Anecdotes  of 
the  Candahar  Campaign  —  The  Valet's  Relations  to  the  King  Ex- 
plained—Aden—No Trace  of  the  Lost  Lenore— Black  Arab  Boys 
with  Red  Hair  —  Diving  for  Coins  ;  an  Old  Trick  of  the  King  and  His 
Suite  —  Mount  Sinai  —  An  Englishman's  Comments  on  its  Possessors 
—Surprised  by  the  Khedive's  Officers  at  Suez  —The  King  Invited  to  Be 
the  Khedive's  Guest  —  The  Suez  Canal  —  "  Sandwiches  "  at  Zigazag 

—  Mohammedan  Abstinence  —  Mussulman  Comments  on  Christianity     1 70 

CHAPTER   XX 

Cairo— General  Stone— The  Pyramids  — In  the  Khedive's  Palace- 
Egyptian  Donkeys  — Drive  through  the  Streets  of  Cairo  — The  Mas- 
sacre of  the  Mamelukes  — The  Museum  and  Its  Curator  — Received 
at  Alexandria  by  the  Khedive— Palace  "Number  Three"  — The 
Harem  —  Mohammedan  Views  of  Woman's  Position  — The  King 
Returns  the  Khedive's  Visit —  Jewelled  Pipes  and  Coffee-Cups  — 
The  Khedive's  Views  on  Polygamy  —  Egypt  under  the  Lion's  Paw  — 
The  King's  Behef  in  His  Divine  Origin  — Dinner  with  the  Khedive 

—  Political  Unrest  —  Polygamy  a  Divine  Institution  —  Leprosy—  The 
Khedive's  Stables— Ball  at  the  Palace  of  the  Ras-el-Tin —Captain 
Cook's  Old  Frigate,  the  "  Resolution" —  A  Greek  Beauty —  Historic 
Ground :  Alexander  the  Great,  Julius  Cffisar,  Mark  Antony,  and 
Cleopatra  —  Departure  for  Italy  —  The  Vice-Regal  Barge     .     .     .     .     18 1 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXI 

Comments  of  Egyptian  Press  — The  King's  Masonic  Rank  — Voyage  to 

Naples  — A  Comet  —  Catalonia  — Volcanoes  of  Hawaii  and  Sicily 

Divine  Stoppage  of  Lava- Flows  —  An  Italian  Adventurer  in  Honolulu 

—  He  Reappears  at  Naples  and  Abducts  the  King  — Pursuit  and 
Recapture  of  His  Majesty  —Visit  to  the  King  and  Queen  of  Italy  — 
The  Adventurer  Dismissed  — Italian  Poems  of  Adulation  to  Strangers 

—  Ex-Khedive  Ismail  Calls  —  Troubles  with  Hotel-Keepers  Begin  — 
News  of  Attack  on  President  Garfield 106 

CHAPTER   XXII 

Rome  —  Cardinal  Jacobini  —  Interview  with  the  Holy  Father—  Pleasant 
Conversation  —  Cardinal  Howard  — A  Picturesque  Scene  —  The  King 
Prevented  by  his  Suite  from  Visiting  St.  Petersburg  —  Leave  for 
England  via  Paris  —  A  Scheming  Hollander — Ride  through  Paris 
and  Leave  for  London  —  Violation  of  French  Etiquette    ....     207 

CHAPTER   XXIII 

London,  Claridge's  Hotel — Royal  and  Ministerial  Callers  —  The  Duke 
of  Edinburgh's  Visit  to  Hawaii  —  The  Prince  of  Wales  Makes  a 
Social  "Lion"  of  the  King  —  The  Royal  Family  Takes  the  King  up 
Without  Reserve  —  The  Queen's  Carriages  at  His  Service — Patti  at 
the  Royal  Italian  Opera —  An  Old  Schoolmate,  General  Armstrong  — 
The  Houses  of  Parliament  —  The  "  Plug"  Hat  the  Symbol  of  British 
Power  —  Volunteer  Review  in  Windsor  Park  —  The  Crown  Prince  of 
Germany — Novelty  of  Our  Situation  —  Westminster  Abbey  —  A 
Trip  on  the  River  with  Lord  Charles  Beresford 214 

CHAPTER   XXIV 

Luncheon  at  Earl  Granville's  with  Mr.  Gladstone  and  Members  of  the 
Cabinet— Visit  to  the  Queen  at  Windsor  Castle— Her  Majesty  In- 
quires for  Queen  Emma — Luncheon  at  the  Castle  —  Visit  from  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Germany  —  Call  at  Marlborough  House  —  The 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  —  Lunch  with  the  Prince  at  Lord 
Charles  Beresford's  —  American  Women  —  Lord  Beresford's  Esca- 
pade in  Hawaii  —  The  Prince  of  Wales's  Visit  to  the  United  States 
—  Garden  Party  at  Marlborough  House  — The  Queen  Present  — Mr. 
Lowell,  the  American  Minister  —  An  Informal  Gathering  of  Royalty 
and  Its  Friends  — The  King  Approved  of— Lambeth  Palace  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury — Reception  to  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales  at  Kensington  Museum  —  Earl  Spencer's  Mistake  —  A  Royal 
Procession  —  Aristocratic  Life  a  Bore ...     223 


CONTENTS  XV 


CHAPTER   XXV 

Page 

Ball  at   Hyde   Park   Barracks  —  Grand    Decorations  —  The   Prince  of 

Wales,  as  Colonel  of  the  Second  Life  Guards,  Receives  the  Guests  — 

Colonial  Banquet  at  Guildhall  —  Builders  of   the  British  Empire  — 

The  Prince  and  King  Make  Speeches  —  The  King  Offends  the  Irish 

—  The  Consequences  —  Entertained  by  Lord  Brassey  at  Normalhurst 

—  Lunch  with  Prince  of  Wales  at  Sir  Christopher  Sykes's  —  Dinner 
at  Tiinity  House  —  General  Grant's  Mistake  —  Places  of  Interest  — 
Handsome  Jewish  Women  —  Dinner  with  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts 

—  The  King  Decorated  —  He  also  Decorates  the  Queen  and  Prince 
of  Wales  —  "  Punch"  and  the  King  —  Ball  at  Marlborough  House  — 
Lunch  with  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Teck  —  The  "Lion"  Leaves 
England  —  The  King  and  the  British  Government 234 

CHAPTER   XXVI 

Belgium  —  Consular  Offices  —  The  Battlefield  of  Waterloo  —  Civilised 
and  Pagan  Warfare  —  Visits  from  and  to  King  Leopold — Berlin  — 
Visit  to  Prince  William  and  Other  Princes  in  Pottsdam  —  Dines  with 
Prince  William  —  Military  Reviews  —  The  Skeleton  Dances  —  The 
Royal  Hawaiian  Band — Dinner  with  the  Red  Prince  —  Krupp's  Gun 
Factory 248 

CHAPTER   XXVII 

Vienna  —  The  Royal  Family  Represented  by  Archduke  Albrecht — Mr. 
Phelps,  the  American  Minister,  and  Mr.  Schuyler,  the  United  States 
Consul-General  —  A  Yale  Jubilee  —  The  King  Reviews  Austrian 
Troops — Proposed  Guarantee  of  Hawaiian  Independence  —  The 
King  Enjoys  Himself  on  the  Prater — Reporters  —  Paris — No  Re- 
ception by  the  French  Government  —  Unravelling  the  Mystery  —  Our 
Bad  Manners  —  Question  of  Declaring  War  Against  France — Recon- 
ciliation—  An  Incident  of  the  Commune — Minister  St.  Hilaire  Calls 

—  Requests  for  Decorations  —  Count  de  Lesseps  —  The  Ballet  Girls 

at  the  Opera 255 

CHAPTER   XXVIII 

At  the  Spanish  Frontier — The  Escurial  —  Reception  at  Madrid  —  Our 
Car  Derailed  by  a  Cow  —  Portugal  —  The  Royal  Car  —  Received  by 
the  King  and  Queen — The  Little  Skeleton  Again  —  Mutual  Decora- 
tions—  Dom  Fernando  —  Portuguese  in  Hawaii  —  Cintra — Pena  — 
A  Magnificent  Outlook — Dinner  with  the  Portuguese  King  —  A 
Narrow  Escape  for  Vasco  da  Gama  as  Told  by  His  Descendant  —  A 


xvi  CONTENTS 

Page 

Bull-Fight  —  Good-Bye  to  Portugal  —  The  Monarchs  Embrace  — 
Negotiating  a  Treaty  —  The  King  Starts  for  Home  via  Spain,  France, 
England,  Scotland,  and  the  United  States  —  The  Valet's  Estimate  of 
His  Position 264 

CHAPTER    XXIX 

New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Washington  —  On  the  Cobble-stones  of 
Democracy  —  The  King  Presented  to  President  Arthur—  Fortress 
Monroe  and  Hampton  Normal  School  —  The  King  Buys  Horses  in 
Kentucky — Banquet  in  San  Francisco  —  Sailing  for  Home  —  Casting 
Up  Accounts  —  What  Wisdom  Has  His  Majesty  "Sucked"  —  He 
Agrees  with  Learned  Men  —  Reception  at  Honolulu — The  Girdle 
Around  the  Earth  is  Clasped 274 

CHAPTER    XXX 

The  End  of  the  Monarchy  —  The  King  and  His  Divine  Origin  and  Mis- 
sion—  Insists  on  Coronation —  Ministers  Resign  —  The  King  Resists 
Parliamentary  Government  —  Confronted  with  the  Bayonet  and  Yields 

—  He  Instigates  Revolution,  but  Fails— Visits  California  and  Dies 

—  Liliuokalani  His  Successor  —  She  Attempts  to  Make  a  New  Con- 
stitution, and  the  Monarchy  is  Overthrown  —  Annexation  to  the 
United  States— The  Work  of  the  Missionaries 283 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Kalakaua,  King  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  .     .  .  Frontispiece 

Colonel  C.  H.  Judd,  King  Kalakaua's  Cham- 
berlain     Facing  page    2 

Ito  (1881) ''  "       60 

Li  Hung  Chang  (188 1 ) "  "       94 

Menu  of  Dinner  given  in  honour  of  King 

Kalakaua,  by  Li  Hung  Chang     ....  "  "       98 

Extract  from  Hongkong  Newspaper    ...  "  "106 

Invitation  to  dine  with  the  King  of  Siam  .     .  "  "130 

The  Maharajah  of  Johore  (1881)     ....  "  "     140 

The  Viceroy  of  Egypt  (188 1 ) "  "190 

Humberto,  King  of  Italy  (1881)     ....  "  "     198 

Margherita,  Queen  of  Italy  (i 88 1)       ...  "  "     200 

The  Crown  Prince  of  Italy  (188 1 )       ...  "  "     204 

Pope  Leo  XIII  (188 1) "  "208 

The  Duke  of  Edinburgh  (188 1 )      ....  "  "     214 

The  Prince  of  Wales  (1881)       "  "216 

The  Prince  Imperial  of  Germany  ( 1 881)       .  "  "     220 

The  Princess  of  Prussia  (188 1) "  "     222 

Queen  Victoria  and   the   Princess    Beatrice 

(1881) «  "224 

Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  (188 1 )      ....  "  "     226 

The  Princess  of  Wales  (188 1 )    .....  "  "228 


XVI 11 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  King  of  Belgium  (1881)      ....     Facmgpage  248 

The  Queen  of  Belgium  (188 1 ) "  "     250 

Prince    William    of    Prussia    and    Princess 

Augusta  Victoria  of   Schleswig   Holstein 

(1881) "  "252 

Franz  Joseph  I,  Emperor  of  Austria  (1881)  "  "     254 

Elisabeth,  Empress  of  Austria  (1881)  .     .     .  "  "     256 

President  Gr^vy  of  France  ( 1 881)  .     ...  "  '"'     258 

The  Queen  of  Spain  (188 1 ) "  "264 

Dom  Fernando,  Regent  of  Portugal  (1881)  "  "     266 

The  King  of  Portugal  (188 1) ''  "268 

The  Queen  of  Portugal  (i 881) "  "272 

William  N.  Armstrong,  after  a  Dinner  given 

by  King  Kalakaua     . "  "     280 

King  Kalakaua  and  his  Military  Staff.     {On 

the  Steps  0/ his  Falace,  1882)      ....  "  "284 


AROUND    THE   WORLD 
WIT  H     A      KING 

CHAPTER  I 

King  Kalakaua  Plans  a  Tour  —  The  First  Sovereign  to  Put  a 
Girdle  Around  the  World  —  Selects  His  Companions  —  His 
Valet  —  Proposes  to  Travel  Incognito  —  Scope  of  His  Tour  — 
Delay  in  Publication  of  This  Memoir  —  The  King  Addresses 
His  Subjects  —  Ceremonies  Attending  the  Departure —  The 
King's  Character  —  His  Minister  and  Chamberlain  —  Kala- 
kaua's  Knowledge  of  Royal  Etiquette  —  His  Unfortunate 
Predecessors  —  Theoretical  and  Practical  Astronomy. 

KALAKAUA  I,  King  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
said  to  me,  his  Attorney-General,  early  one 
morning  in  January,  1881,  while  we  sat  under  the 
cocoanut  palms  which  towered  above  his  little  Sum- 
mer Palace  at  Waikiki,  near  Honolulu,  and  the  surf 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  foaming  over  the  coral  reef, 
broke  nearly  at  our  feet,  — 

"  Now  that  my  troubles  are  over,  I  mean  to  take 
a  trip  around  the  world,  and  you  must  go  with  me." 

He  had  been  upon  the  throne  for  six  years,  and, 
with  the  true  instincts  of  sovereigns,  had  availed 
himself  of  several  opportunities  to  engage  in  diffi- 
culties with  some  of  his  white  subjects,  who  held 
the  brains  and  most  of  the  property  of  the  kingdom. 
They  had  lately  threatened  insurrection  because  he 
had  committed  several  serious  political  errors,  but 


2  AROUND    THE    WORLD 

he  had  yielded  to  their  demands,  and  on  the  night 
preceding  this  declaration  of  intention  to  travel  he 
and  a  hundred  of  his  white  subjects  had  met  in  a 
grand  banquet;  they  had  together  emptied  the  lov- 
ing cup;  and  the  white  doves  of  peace  again  swept 
through  the  tropic  air. 

I  took  his  remark  as  an  idle  fancy  which  would 
quickly  be  replaced  by  other  similar  ones.  But  as  we 
rode  into  the  city  I  said : 

"  If  your  Majesty  makes  a  tour  of  the  world,  you 
will  be  the  first  sovereign  of  the  earth  who  has  ever 
travelled  around  it,  and  your  subjects  should  erect 
a  high  monument  of  lava  stones  on  the  crown  of 
Punch  Bowl  ^   with  this  inscription  upon  it : 

"  To  THE  First  Sovereign 

Who  Put  a  Girdle  Around  the  Earth. 

A.D.  1881." 

Since  the  concert  of  the  morning  stars,  or  the 
appearance  of  man  on  the  globe,  sovereigns  have 
done  many  great  and  many  small  things;  but  not 
one  of  them,  even  in  these  later  days,  has  had  the 
audacity  or  pluck  to  circumnavigate  this  little  planet. 
Like  certain  sagacious  animals  which  never  travel 
far  from  their  holes  in  the  earth  through  fear  of 
being  dispossessed  of  them  by  an  enemy,  rulers  sel- 
dom stray  far  from  their  thrones  lest  rivals  seize 
and  occupy  them.  Besides,  there  are  the  perils  of 
land  and  sea.  Sir  John  Mandeville,  that  great  travel- 
ler, said  in  1356:  "Although  it  be  possible  to  go 
round  the  world,  yet  of  a  thousand  persons  not  one 
might  happen  to  return  to  his  country."     The  sov- 

1  An  extinct  volcano  rising  behind  the  city. 


Colonel  C.  H.  Judd,  King  Kalakaua's  Chamberlain. 


WITH    A    KING  3 

ereigns  before  his  time  anticipated  his  forecast,  and 
those  who  came  after  him  observed  his  cautions  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  brute  creation  and  left  to  a  Poly- 
nesian king  the  honour,  if  there  be  any,  of  achieving 
this  deed. 

Before  night  I  discovered  that  his  Majesty  was 
in  a  serious  mood,  for  he  convened  his  Cabinet,  of 
which  I  was  a  member,  declared  his  intention  to 
make  the  journey,  and  requested  a  meeting  of  his 
Privy  Council,  at  which  the  necessary  funds  could 
be  provided.  The  Cabinet  and  the  Council  approved 
of  the  project  and  were  willing  to  provide  abundantly 
for  it.  He  declared  also  that  he  should  take  with 
him,  as  companion,  the  author  of  this  memoir,  who 
would  receive  the  commission  of  "  Minister  of  State," 
which  would  place  him  in  the  same  rank  as  the  Cabi- 
net Ministers  of  any  sovereign,  and  entitle  him  to  the 
respect  and  courtesies  due  that  rank,  while,  in  order 
to  give  the  appearance  of  a  useful  purpose  to  the 
royal  expedition,  he  made  him  also,  "  Royal  Com- 
missioner of  Immigration,"  with  instructions  to  seek 
over  the  world  recruits  to  the  depleted  population  of 
the  kingdom,  a  depletion  so  steadily  growing  that 
there  was  imminent  danger,  within  a  few  genera- 
tions, of  the  singular  case  of  a  native  monarchy 
without  a  native  subject.  In  addition  to  the  Minister 
of  State  he  selected  Colonel  C.  H.  Judd,  his  Chamber- 
lain, and  one  of  his  most  trustworthy  friends,  as  his 
second  companion.  His  personal  attendant,  or  valet, 
was  a  German  known  as  "  Robert,"  an  educated  man 
of  prepossessing  appearance  and  a  remarkable  lin- 
guist. Owing  to  his  intemperate  habits  he  never 
remained  long  in  any  situation.  He  had  served  as 
cook  on  sailing-vessels,  and  on  landing  in  Hawaii 


4         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

had  become  the  King's  chef.  But  his  unreliabiHty 
had  cast  him  out  of  this  situation.     There  was  a 

rumour  that  he  was  the  Baron  von  O .     This 

was  verified  by  the  suite  during  the  tour.  In  spite 
of  his  habits,  the  King,  for  reasons  which  I  did  not 
then  know,  consented  to  engage  him  as  valet  upon  a 
new  pledge  of  sobriety;  but  the  engagement  was 
made  under  the  mild  protest  of  the  suite. 

Before  recording  the  incidents  of  this  royal  tour 
it  may  be  said,  in  anticipation,  that  the  King  of 
Hawaii  executed  his  mission  as  a  circumnavigator 
within  the  ten  following  months,  during  which  time 
he  became  the  guest  of,  or  was  received  in  state  cere- 
monies by,  the  Emperor  of  Japan ;  General  Li  Hung 
Chang,  of  China;  the  Governor  of  Hongkong,  in 
the  name  of  the  British  Queen;  the  King  of  Siam; 
the  British  Governors  or  Commissioners  of  Singa- 
pore, Penang,  the  Malacca  Straits,  and  of  Burmah; 
the  Vice-Regal  Court  of  India;  the  Viceroy  of 
Egypt ;  the  King  of  Italy ;  the  Holy  Father  in  Rome ; 
the  British  Queen ;  the  King  of  Belgium ;  the  Court 
of  Emperor  William  of  Germany ;  the  officials  of  the 
Austrian  Empire,  in  the  absence  of  the  Emperor ; 
the  officials  of  the  French  Republic;  the  officials  of 
the  Spanish  Court,  whose  Regent  was  absent;  the 
King  of  Portugal;  and  finally,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  from  which  country  he  returned  to  his 
own  kingdom. 

The  memoir  of  the  incidents  of  this  tour  were 
noted  from  day  to  day  by  the  writer,  his  "  Minister 
of  State "  and  companion ;  but  its  publication  has 
been  delayed  for  some  years,  and  until  after  his  death, 
in  order  to  permit  a  freedom  of  narration,  an  adher- 
ence to  truth,  and  "  the  painting  of  a  portrait  with 


WITH    A    KING  5 

the  wrinkles ;  "  nor  has  it  been  found  necessary  to 
follow  Macaulay's  aphorism,  that  "  the  best  portraits 
are  those  in  which  there  is  a  slight  admixture  of 
caricature."  Kings,  above  all  men,  resent  any  lan- 
guage'but  that  of  adulation,  and  if  one  would  avoid 
censure  he  is  wise  to  await  the  co-operation  of  Death, 
and  reserve  his  narrative  until  the  subject  of  it  is  in 
the  other  world,  where,  according  to  Lord  Bacon, 
Menippus,  in  his  travels  through  hell,  found  the 
kings  of  the  earth  distinguished  from  other  men 
chiefly  by  their  louder  wailings  and  tears. 

Before  the  King  began  his  tour  I  incidentally 
called  his  attention  to  certain  omens  which  might 
disturb  his  Polynesian  and  somewhat  superstitious 
mind. 

One  of  his  predecessors,  Kamehameha  II,  King  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  as  they  were  called  in  the 
early  days,  and  his  spouse  Kamamalu,  in  the  year 
1824,  while  the  people  were  pagans,  visited  England 
as  guests  of  the  British  monarch.  Both  of  them  died 
of  the  measles,  in  London,  and  their  bodies  were 
conveyed  with  royal  honours  to  their  kingdom  in  the 
British  frigate  "  Blonde,"  commanded  by  Lord 
Byron,  a  cousin  of  the  poet.  Their  sudden  and  nearly 
simultaneous  deaths  were  reported  to  Theodore 
Hook,  giving  the  wit  the  opportunity  for  his  well- 
known  couplet,  announcing  the  sad  event: 

" 'Waiter  !  two  sandwiches  ! '  cried  Death  ; 
And  their  wild  Majesties  resigned  their  breath." 

At  the  moment  when  their  successor,  nearly  sixty 
years  later,  proposed  to  travel  in  foreign  countries, 
the  small-pox  broke  out  in  his  own  capital,  with  much 
loss  of  life.     He  wisely  concluded  to  let  the  monster 


6         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

gratify  his  insatiate  appetite  on  common  Sandwiches, 
while  he  removed  himself,  as  material  for  a  royal 
Sandwich,  out  of  the  kingdom. 

In  order  to  prevent  a  large  retinue  of  his  loyal 
native  and  white  subjects  from  following  him  in  his 
tour,  at  his  own  great  expense,  he  announced  that  he 
would  travel  incognito  under  the  title  of  Prince.  His 
sister,  the  Princess  Liliuokalani,  now  the  ex-Queen 
of  Hawaii,  was  by  royal  proclamation  designated  as 
Regent  during  his  absence. 

Several  days  before  his  departure  he  invited  his 
native  subjects  to  meet  him  in  the  largest  church  of 
his  capital,  and  although  he  had  not,  during  the 
six  years  of  his  reign,  taken  any  special  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  people,  he  announced  to  them  from 
the  platform  that  his  chief  object  in  travel  was  to 
avail  himself  of  the  experience  of  other  nations  for 
their  benefit.  This  paternal  solicitude  greatly  pleased 
his  native  subjects,  who  had  fallen  far  behind  their 
white  neighbours  in  the  march  of  progress,  because, 
as  one  of  the  King's  predecessors  had  frankly  said, 
they  were  "  shiftless,  lazy,  and  incompetent."  The 
King's  declaration  led  them  to  believe  that  he  would 
return  laden  with  patent  and  miraculous  contrivances 
which  would  give  them  abundance  without  labour, 
and  enable  them  to  scratch  themselves  with  tropical 
serenity,  which  was  the  habit  of  their  inheritance, 
and  they  cordially  approved  of  this  royal  act  of  self- 
sacrifice.  The  Protestant  missionaries  had  brought 
to  them  the  blessings  of  civilisation,  but  the  sea- 
faring countrymen  of  the  missionaries  had  also 
brought  to  them  its  curses,  and  it  was  an  act  of  kingly 
philanthropy  for  their  sovereign  to  seek  in  foreign 
lands  some  method  of  relief,  if  there  was  any,  from 


WITH    A    KING  7 

their  unfortunate  sufferings  between  the  upper  and 
nether  millstones  of  Christian  civilisation. 

When  the  day  arrived  on  which  the  steamer  from 
Australia,  bound  to  San  Francisco,  was  due,  the 
natives  loyally  gathered  at  the  Palace,  to  fulfil  those 
rites  and  ceremonies  which  were  fitting  on  such  an 
unusual  event  as  the  departure  of  the  King  from 
his  country,  and  groups  of  singers  and  dancers  gath- 
ered on  the  thick  sward  under  the  royal  palms.  Each 
dancer  had  a  gourd  filled  with  pebbles,  and  shook 
it,  in  measured  time,  with  one  hand,  while  with 
the  other  he  described  graceful  motions  in  the  air. 
Wreaths  of  sweet-scented  vines  and  many-coloured 
flowers  encircled  or  streamed  from  their  bodies,  or 
were  entwined  with  their  glossy  black  locks.  No 
jewelled  necklace  or  spangled  dress  of  the  European 
ballet  rival  these  natural  ornaments  from  the  flower- 
bearing  valleys.  The  singers,  squatting  in  groups, 
dressed  in  the  glory  of  the  fields,  told  the  story,  in  a 
plaintive  minor  key,  of  the  greatness  of  the  Hawaiian 
kings,  their  miraculous  exploits,  and  their  imperish- 
able renown.  Many  of  the  words  of  the  songs  were 
in  the  ancient  language  and  were  understood  only  by 
the  older  people;  but  if  translated  they  would  have 
promoted  intense  activity  in  a  Society  for  the  Promo- 
tion of  Moral  Literature,  if  one  had  existed  there.  As 
one  group  of  singers  and  dancers  became  exhausted, 
relays  of  new  performers  replaced  them,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  no  gap  in  movement  or  melody. 

The  steamer  did  not  arrive  on  time,  but  traditional 
etiquette  required  that  these  ceremonies  should  con- 
tinue unbroken  until  the  King  embarked.  Many 
hours  passed,  and  there  was  no  end  to  the  dancing 
or  singing,   and  at  midnight  the  trade  winds  died 


8         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

away  and  the  moon  arose.  In  the  dreamy  stillness 
of  the  soft  air  the  low  monotonous  chanting,  the 
measured  rattling  of  the  gourds,  rose  above  the  trees, 
with  intervals  of  European  music  by  the  military 
band.  I  was  on  a  high  balcony  overlooking  this 
strange  scene,  with  its  extraordinary  mixture  of  the 
airs  of  Polynesia  and  of  Europe.  Beyond  the  forest 
of  tall  cocoanut  palms  I  heard  the  surf  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  with  "  great  white  avalanches  of  thunder," 
rolling  up  on  the  coral  beach.  This  music  of  inter- 
mingled paganism,  civilisation,  and  ocean  ended  only 
with  the  dawn,  and  with  the  dawn  the  steamer  ar- 
rived, and  the  King  promptly  embarked.  Some 
ancient  cannon  of  large  calibre,  situated  on  the  height 
above  the  city,  discharged  a  royal  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns,  and  the  King  and  his  suite  stood  on  the 
deck,  buried  in  a  wilderness  of  flowers ;  for  it  is  the 
agreeable  custom  of  the  country  to  decorate  departing 
friends  with  wreaths  of  flowers  and  scented  vines, 
and  their  quantity  on  this  occasion  was  sufficient 
to  have  dressed  the  masts,  yards  and  rigging  of  the 
steamer  from  stem  to  stern.  Every  native  had 
brought  a  tribute  of  these,  and  their  perfume  filled 
the  air.  As  the  "  City  of  Sydney "  swung  away 
from  the  dock,  the  national  band  played  "  Auld  Lang 
Syne,"  and  "Hawaii  Ponoi  "  (po-no-ee),  the  na- 
tional anthem;  and  the  wailing  of  the  natives  fol- 
lowed her  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbour  until  their 
piercing  cries  were  lost  in  the  roar  of  the  surf. 

The  tour  thus  auspiciously  begun,  J:he  King,  in 
the  expressive  words  of  Lord  Bacon,  was  now 
ready  to  "  suck  "  the  experience  of  the  world. 

The  Queen,  who  had  supervised  the  packing  of  the 
King's  luggage,  had  filled  many  packages  with  shoes 


WITH    A    KING  9 

and  clothing  of  all  kinds ;  among  them  were  six  hat- 
boxes,  and  a  canvas  bag  which,  I  soon  discovered, 
held  the  royal  standard.  I  then  suspected  that  the 
"  Prince,"  for  he  began  his  journey  incognito,  was 
providing  for  the  fortunes  of  travel,  and,  if  he  de- 
sired, could  throw  off  his  borrowed  plumes  and 
assume  his  crown;  but  his  manoeuvre  was  praise- 
worthy in  that  it  had  prevented  the  burden  and, 
expense  of  a  retinue. 

This  memoir  will  not  be  understood  without  a  pre- 
liminary description  of  the  King,  and  the  personal 
relations  which  existed  between  him  and  his  suite. 
Although  a  Polynesian,  he  was  capable  of  appearing 
as  a  well-bred  man  in  any  society  or  in  any  court. 
He  was  above  the  medium  height  and  of  large  pro- 
portions, and  had  received  an  education  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  in  a  school  especially  organised  to 
instruct  the  young  chiefs  of  Hawaii.  Its  instructors 
were  carefully  selected  by  the  white  men  of  the  gov- 
ernment for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  future  rulers 
the  best  preparation  for  their  coming  responsibilities. 
In  this  royal  school  there  were  at  one  time  four  young 
chiefs,  who  afterward  became  kings  of  Hawaii,  and 
two  young  women  of  rank,  who  afterward  became 
queens.  The  children  of  the  white  members  of  the 
King's  Cabinet  were,  by  favour,  admitted  to  the 
school,  and  the  Chamberlain,  Colonel  Judd,  and  I, 
now  Minister  of  State,  were  scholars  in  1849.  Thirty 
years  afterward,  and  after  three  of  our  schoolmates 
had  become  .kings  and  had  died,  and  two  of  them 
had  become  queens,  it  so  happened  that  Kalakaua 
ascended  the  throne,  and  with  his  two  old  school- 
mates began  his  royal  tour.  Of  the  queens,  one, 
Queen    Emma,    an    attractive    young    woman,    now 


10       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  Queen  Dowager,  had  been  the  guest  of  the 
British  Queen,  and  of  the  Empress  Eugenie  in  Paris, 
where  she  became  a  favourite;  while  the  other, 
LiHuokalani,  the  sister  of  the  King,  who  became  his 
successor  on  his  death,  and  ruled  so  unwisely  that 
she  drove  her  white  subjects  into  revolution  and 
extinguished  the  Hawaiian  monarchy. 

Both  Minister  of  State  and  Chamberlain,  the  only 
companions  of  the  King  besides  his  valet,  were  sons 
of  American  missionaries  who  had  enlarged  their 
usefulness  by  entering  the  Cabinet  of  one  of  the 
King's  predecessors  thirty  years  before,  and  had 
done  important  service  in  organising  and  maintaining 
civil  government.  The  Chamberlain  had  always 
lived  in  the  islands,  but  I  had  lived  in  the  United 
States  for  many  years,  and  had  returned  at  the 
King's  request  and  taken  office  in  his  Cabinet,  as 
Attorney-General,  a  few  weeks  before  the  beginning 
of  this  tour. 

The  King  had  a  retentive  memory.  He  had  read 
many  books  in  the  English  language  on  religion, 
science,  and  politics;  but  he  had  not  digested  his 
reading,  and  his  learning  was  therefore  somewhat 
dangerous,  although  its  extent  surprised  visitors  to 
his  kingdom,  as  well  as  many  persons  whom  he  met 
during  his  long  tour.  He  was  an  excellent  musician, 
and  had  collected  a  band  of  native  musicians,  num- 
bering about  thirty,  who,  under  a  German  leader, 
had  made  a  reputation  for  skill  in  rendering  foreign 
music  which  reached  Europe  through  the  reports  of 
tourists  and  of  the  officers  of  warships.  He  often 
referred  with  a  smile  to  his  first  savage  predecessor 
on  the  throne,  who  once  received  a  serenade  from 
the  band  of  a  British  warship ;  and  when  at  the  close 


WITH    A    KING  11 

of  it  he  was  asked  if  he  desired  the  repetition  of  any 
piece  made  it  known,  but  not  without  some  difficulty, 
that  the  tuning  of  the  instruments  gave  him  the  most 
pleasure. 

The  King  knew  the  usages  and  customs  of  Euro- 
pean courts,  for  after  the  independence  of  his  islands 
had  been  recognised,  and  treaties  had  been  negotiated 
with  nearly  all  the  civilised  states  of  the  world,  a 
diplomatic  and  consular  corps  was  established  at  his 
capital ;  and  this,  with  the  ceremony  of  receiving  the 
officers  of  warships  and  other  noted  visitors,  had 
established  the  etiquette  of  civilisation  in  his  own 
court.  His  kingdom  was  recognised  as  civilised  by 
all  nations,  and  he  was  a  monarch  in  good  and  reg- 
ular standing  among  his  royal  brethren.  This  was 
due  to  the  unselfish  labour  of  the  American  mission- 
aries and  their  allies,  who  had  created  the  frame- 
work of  an  institutional  government  and  placed  the 
administration  of  law  in  the  hands  of  intelligent  and 
honest  white  men  who  had  the  confidence  of  both 
foreign  traders  and  residents. 

But,  the  King  being  Polynesian,  neither  he  nor  his 
native  subjects  understood  the  nature  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  government,  and  if  they  had  been  allowed 
to  have  their  own  way  political  conditions  would  have 
quickly  fallen  into  those  which  are  found  in  the 
South  American  republics  or  among  even  less-civil- 
ised people.  The  self-rule  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  is 
not  the  working  out  of  a  theory,  but  the  evolution  of 
long-acquired  political  habits  and  customs.  The 
King  could  not  understand  this,  nor  could  he  be 
criticised  for  his  ignorance  when  the  majority  of 
Anglo-Saxons  cannot  lucidly  explain  their  own  sys- 
tem of  rule,  but  govern  themselves  mainly  on  inher- 


12       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ited  sentiments.  The  King's  mind  was  naturally 
filled  with  the  crude  ideas,  the  superstitions,  the  abso- 
lutism of  a  Polynesian  chief,  though  his  experience 
with  the  whites  had  modified  their  exaggerated 
forms;  and,  where  experience  was  lacking,  a  vague 
fear  of  the  white  men's  superior  intelligence  took  its 
place.  So  in  kingly  behaviour  he  was,  and  proved  to 
be,  the  peer  of  any  monarch  he  met  on  his  tour.  His 
three  predecessors  on  the  throne  had  fallen  into  what 
moralists  call  "  drunkards'  graves ;  "  but  the  graves 
were  an  impressive  mausoleum,  situated  in  a  beauti- 
ful valley,  shaded  by  trees  of  everlasting  green,  and 
by  no  means  repelling  or  likely  to  serve  as  a  deterrent 
from  the  downward  course  to  whose  end  they  bore 
peaceful  witness.  The  King  was  unlike  his  prede- 
cessors in  this  regard,  and  did  not  exhibit  the  great 
vice  of  Christendom  oftener  than  his  official  duty 
demanded.  It  was  his  pagan  humour  to  say,  when 
he  gave  way  to  the  custom  of  civilisation,  "  I  am 
drunk,  but  I  am  also  civilised." 

The  party  was  a  singular  one.  They  were  school- 
mates who  had  rubbed  each  other's  noses  in  the  dirt 
thirty  years  before,  and  were  now  King,  Minister 
of  State,  and  Lord  Chamberlain,  with  a  German 
baron  for  a  valet;  and  though  the  kingdom  they 
represented  was  a  tiny  affair,  it  was,  for  all  that,  one 
of  the  family  of  Christian  nations,  and  they  were 
entitled  to  royal  ceremonies  according  to  the  usage 
of  nations.  But  because  our  country  was  only  a 
few  dots  or  elevations  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  an  insig- 
nificant affair  so  far  as  territory  went,  we  modestly 
anticipated  no  royal  receptions.  If  the  monarchs,  the 
brothers  of  my  royal  master,  gave  him  a  brief  audi- 
ence and  shook  his  hand,  it  would  be,  we  thought, 


WITH    A    KING  13 

after  the  manner  of  rich  and  powerful  men  who  greet 
an  obscure  relation  by  extending  two  fingers  of  the 
hand,  and,  if  generous,  serve  him  some  refuse  meat  in 
a  side  chamber.  We  were  ready  to  be  satisfied  if  we 
received  the  slightest  greeting;  and,  in  order  to  avoid 
any  embarrassment,  had  our  incognito  dress  at  hand, 
so  that  we  could  quickly  jump  into  it.  At  no  time  did 
the  King  make  any  formal  announcement  to  the  court 
of  any  country  that  he  intended  to  visit  it;  in  short, 
we  travelled  modestly,  so  as  to  avoid  a  snubbing. 

Among  our  passengers  on  the  voyage  to  San 
Francisco  was  a  well-known  Englishman,  a  lecturer 
on  astronomy,  returning  from  Australia.  He  dis- 
cussed with  the  King  the  astral  theories  of  the 
Polynesians,  which  were,  it  must  be  confessed,  not 
as  advanced  as  those  held  by  the  present  generation 
of  Europeans,  but  quite  as  valuable  as  those  of 
learned  men  two  centuries  before,  who  believed  that 
comets  were  sent  by  the  Almighty  to  frighten  men 
into  obedience.  The  King  became  much  interested 
in  these  semi-scientific  conversations,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage  their  effect  upon  him  was  shown  after 
a  not  altogether  unexpected  fashion. 

During  the  usual  celebration  which  occurs  before  a 
vessel  enters  port,  the  Australian  passengers,  who  had 
much  respect  for  royalty,  so  entertained  the  King, 
with  the  aid  of  the  distinguished  man  of  science  that 
when  he  reached  the  upper  deck,  long  after  midnight, 
his  royal  eyes  were  able  to  perceive  double  stars  and 
planets  without  the  aid  of  a  telescope.  As  the  sun 
rose  above  the  Golden  Gate  of  San  Francisco  Bay, 
I  entered  this  note  in  these  memoirs :  "  His  Majesty 
has  sucked  his  first  experience  of  foreign  civilisation." 


14       AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER   II 

Arrival  in  San  Francisco  —  Hoisting  the  Royal  Standard  — 
The  King  is  generously  Entertained  —  Visits  the  Legis- 
lature —  "  The  Colossus  of  the  Pacific "  —  A  Chinese 
Banquet  —  The  King,  Elated,  Requires  Minister  to  Wear 
Diplomatic  Uniform  —  The  Valet  Gets  Drunk. 

AS  the  "  City  of  Sydney  "  moved  up  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco  the  next  morning,  her  ambitious 
captain  urged  his  Majesty  to  permit  him  to  hoist  the 
royal  standard.  The  Chamberlain  and  I  suggested  to 
the  King  that  a  modest  introduction  to  San  Francisco 
would  befit  the  entrance  of  the  monarch  of  a  midget 
kingdom  into  the  domain  of  a  great  republic.  But  he 
had  been  received  with  extraordinary  display  on  a 
visit  to  this  place  six  years  before,  and  it  had  in- 
creased his  appetite  for  public  honours.  The  valet, 
Robert,  therefore  extracted  the  royal  standard  from 
its  canvas  covering,  and  it  was  quickly  floating  from 
the  main  truck.  This  was  soon  detected  by  the  com- 
mandant of  the  federal  forts,  and  salutes  of  twenty- 
one  guns  were  at  once  discharged.  The  rain  fell 
heavily  as  the  vessel  reached  her  dock,  so  the  King's 
friends  in  the  city,  instead  of  driving  him  through 
the  streets  in  an  open  conveyance,  took  him  in  a 
closed  carriage  to  the  Palace  Hotel.  The  weather 
had  displayed  the  same  disrespect  for  him  that  it  did 
for  George  IV,  who  landed  in  a  severe  storm  at 
Leith,  upon  which  a  loyal  Scotchman  exclaimed, 
*'  Your   Majesty,   I   am   positively  ashamed   of   the 


WITH    A    KING  15 

Almighty  for  letting  the  rain  wet  your  Majesty's 
person." 

The  King  was  a  generous  host  at  home ;  many  resi- 
dents of  San  Francisco  had  been  his  guests  at  break- 
fasts and  dinners,  with  attractive  settings  of  tropical 
vines,  flowers,  and  plants,  and  he  met,  therefore,  a 
warm  welcome.  Nor  did  it  detract  from  their  interest 
in  him  that  he  was  a  Crowned  Head.  He  was  also 
a  "  coloured  man,"  unusually  dark  for  a  Polynesian, 
and  several  of  his  features  suggested  negro  inheri- 
tance. But  the  generous  citizens  of  both  sexes 
smothered  antipathies,  if  they  had  any,  and,  rising  to 
the  occasion,  cordially  declared  that  black  was  white. 

General  Upton,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  said, 
after  he  had  conversed  with  the  King,  that  his  knowl- 
edge of  military  manoeuvres  and  strategy  was  most 
creditable,  and,  no  doubt,  exceeded  that  of  most  of 
the  militia  officers  of  the  United  States.  The  King 
visited  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  State  at  Sac- 
ramento, and  at  a  dinner  given  to  him  in  that  place 
he  heard  the  "  thrilling  eloquence  "  of  several  Amer- 
ican orators.  Among  these  was  one  who  in  fervid 
eloquence  described  the  importance  of  the  Hawaiian 
kingdom  in  the  rising  commerce  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
and  predicted  the  final  union  of  the  inhabitants  of 
all  Oceanica  and  Polynesia  under  one  rule,  and, 
he  shouted,  "  it  will  be  that  of  King  Kalakaua,  the 
Colossus  of  the  Pacific."  The  King  was  therefore 
suddenly  conscious  of  a  call  to  a  high  destiny, 
although  he  was  quite  uncertain  as  to  the  term 
"  Colossus,"  and  this  consciousness  was  not  lessened 
by  the  speech  of  the  Governor  of  the  State,  who  gave 
free  play  to  his  capacity  for  patriotic  prophecy. 

On  the  King's  return  to  San  Francisco  he  attended 


16       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

a  banquet  given  to  him  by  the  Consul-General  of  his 
Imperial  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  China,  in  the  Hang 
Fen  Lou  restaurant.  It  was  said  to  be  the  cost- 
liest dinner  ever  given  by  the  Chinese  in  America. 
Twenty  tables  were  covered  with  heavy  embroidered 
crimson  satin,  with  fringes  of  gold  bullion  and  silver 
stars ;  heavy  silk  scrolls  hung  from  the  ceiling,  upon 
which  were  inscribed  words  from  the  wise  sayings 
of  Confucius ;  American,  Hawaiian,  and  Chinese 
flags  were  intertwined  on  pillars;  the  Consul,  in  a 
gorgeous  costume  of  silk,  sat  with  the  King  on  his 
right  hand.  On  receiving  his  Majesty  at  the  door 
he  had  ignored  the  delicate  and  artistic  pump-handle 
hand-shaking  of  Christendom,  and,  placing  the  closed 
fist  of  one  of  his  own  hands  in  the  palm  of  the  other, 
shook  them  together  with  the  enthusiasm  demanded 
by  the  rank  of  the  guest.  The  dishes  served  were  the 
pride  of  China :  bird's-nest  soup,  white  snow  fingers, 
imperial  fish  brains,  preserved  bird's  eggs,  shark's 
fins,  fish  maw,  tender  bamboo  shoots,  stewed  duck 
with  Teintsin  sauce,  chicken  with  Satow  dressing, 
turtle  stew,  melon  and  many  other  kinds  of  seeds, 
sweetmeats,  pear-wine,  and  many  honnes  hoiiches 
unknown  to  Parisian  restaurants.  Chopsticks  were 
laid  beside  the  guests'  plates,  but  forks  were  also 
furnished,  as  a  liberal  concession  to  the  crude  habits 
of  Western  civilisation. 

The  Consul  toasted  the  King,  and,  as  the  spokes- 
man for  all  Chinamen,  thanked  him  for  the  just 
treatment  they  had  received  in  his  kingdom ;  there 
was  but  one  place  in  Christendom,  beyond  the  lines 
of  the  British  Empire,  in  which  all  Chinese  immi- 
grants could  live  without  fear  of  unjust  assault ;  it 
was,  he  said,  in  the  King's  dominions.    And  when  this 


WITH    A    KING  17 

"  pagan  "  King  rose  to  reply,  he  stood  on  American 
soil  at  the  time  when  the  descendants  of  the  Puri- 
tans at  the  capital  of  the  nation  were  passing  a  law 
which  deliberately  violated  their  treaty  with  China, 
and  just  before  that  august  tribunal,  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  decided  that  the  obliga- 
tions of  a  treaty  might  be  violated  by  an  Act  of 
Congress.^ 

At  the  close  of  the  banquet,  which  was  the  tribute 
of  men  of  the  largest  nation  of  the  world  to  the  fair- 
ness and  justice  in  the  administration  of  law  in  the 
kingdom  of  Hawaii,  I  said  to  the  King,  — 

"  You  may  be  a  pagan  king,  and  I  the  Minister  of 
a  pagan  king;  but  our  first  important  experience 
in  a  foreign  land  is  the  gratitude,  expressed  in  this 
grand  banquet,  to  your  government  for  its  justice; 
and  it  is  done  on  the  soil  of  a  nation  that  deliberately 
does  injustice  to  the  Chinese." 

Although  we  were  only  at  the  beginning  of  our 
journey,  I  noticed  that  my  royal  master's  mind  was 
expanding.  The  fervid  words  of  the  orators  in  Sac- 
ramento, and  foolish  praise  of  visitors,  opening  to 
him  a  vision  of  himself  as  "  the  Colossus  of  the  Pa- 
cific," he  began  to  realise  his  possibilities  as  the 
coming  man  "  that  shalt  be  king  hereafter  "  of  the 
countless  islands  of  Oceanica.  He  therefore  com- 
manded —  for  a  king's  request  is  always  a  command 
—  that  a  uniform  be  made  for  his  Minister  of  State. 
Instead  of  a  cocked  hat  and  pair  of  old  boots,  which 
his  predecessors  had  adopted  as  the  courtly  uniform 
at  no  very  distant  period,  there  suddenly  appeared, 
from  the  miscellaneous  luggage,  cloths  on  which 
were  delicately  worked,  with  wire  of  gold  bullion, 

1  See  136  United  States  Supreme  Court  Reports. 
2 


18       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

imitations  of  the  beautiful  leaf  and  flower  of  the  taro 
plant  (Calladium  escidentum)  together  with  the  fine 
leaf  of  the  koa,  a  Hawaiian  tree.  This  costly  material 
had  been  embroidered  in  England  on  the  orders  of 
a  former  king,  but  had  never  been  used.  A  tailor 
quickly  made  for  me  a  rich  diplomatic  uniform,  the 
design  of  which  was  especially  admired  in  every 
court  visited  by  the  King  and  his  suite.  To  this  was 
added  a  sword  and  a  cocked  hat. 

The  party  was  now  equipped  for  a  tour,  —  either 
royal  or  incognito,  and  while  an  American  democrat 
is  bashful  at  first  in  the  gorgeous  trappings  of  a  court 
official,  the  instinct  of  his  race,  when  in  pursuit  of 
either  business  or  pleasure,  quickly  adjusts  him  to 
the  dress  of  a  savage  or  to  that  of  an  archangel. 

The  King,  with  his  great  size  and  dignified  presence, 
was  an  imposing  person  in  his  military  dress,  to  which 
was  added  some  insignia  of  military  orders  given 
to  him  by  European  sovereigns  on  the  exchange  of 
treaties.  To  obtain  more  of  these  was,  in  truth,  one 
of  the  objects  of  his  tour.  The  Chamberlain,  with 
the  rank  of  Colonel  on  his  Majesty's  staff,  appeared 
in  the  uniform  of  that  rank,  and,  being  of  the  same 
size  of  the  King,  the  two,  when  standing  together, 
towering  above  other  persons,  gave  to  the  Hawaiians 
the  credit  of  producing  a  race  of  unusually  large  men. 

The  King  wished  that  there  should  be  some  sug- 
gestion of  Hawaiian  costumes  in  his  suite,  but 
throughout  his  pagan  possessions  there  had  been  but 
two  extremes  of  fashion :  one  presenting  the  wearer 
clad  in  decorative  tattoo,  "  only  that  and  nothing 
more;  "  while  the  other  bedecked  the  chiefs  with  rare 
and  magnificent  feather  cloaks,  made  from  the  minute 
and  delicately  coloured  feathers  of  tiny  birds,  with 


WITH    A    KING  19 

a  gloss  and  richness  that  no  art  could  rival.  But  the 
wearing  of  these  cloaks  over  a  European  military  or 
diplomatic  uniform  would  be  incongruous.  How  he 
finally  preserved  a  suggestion  of  Hawaiian  fashion 
in  the  dress  of  his  suite  will  be  related  hereafter. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  in  San  Francisco,  Robert, 
his  Majesty's  valet,  got  drunk.  In  spite  of  the  alac- 
rity with  which  he  had  accepted  the  position,  he 
scorned  his  humble  office;  menial  services  were  iron 
in  his  soul.  He  informed  strangers  and  lookers-on 
that  he  was  the  King's  private  secretary,  or  that  he 
held  the  office  of  "  Keeper  of  the  Royal  Standard," 
which,  he  said  in  confidence,  Avas  one  of  much  honour 
in  Hawaii.  Being  tempted  by  strangers  with  invita- 
tions to  the  bar  of  the  hotel,  he  became  hopelessly 
drunk,  and  on  one  occasion  walked  through  the  cor- 
ridors wearing,  by  mistake,  the  King's  silk  hat  instead 
of  his  own.  The  suite  insisted  on  his  dismissal,  but 
the  King,  upon  the  valet's  earnest  promise  of  refor- 
mation, declined  to  accede  to  the  demand. 


20       AKOUXD    THE    WOKLU 


CHAPTER  III 


Departure  for  Japan  —  Logs  on  the  Ocean  —  Washington's 
Birthday  —  Losing  a  Day  —  Slapping  a  King  in  the  Face 
—  Attempts  to  Instruct  the  King  in  Political  Science  — 
The  Conflict  of  Races  in  Hawaii  —  Failure  of  Educational 
Efforts. 


OX  the  Sth  of  February.  iSSi.  the  King,  with 
his  suite,  embarked  for  Japan  on  the  steamer 
*'  Oceanic."  Captain  INIetcalf.  The  royal  standard 
was  at  the  main  truck;  the  federal  batteries  of  the 
port  gnve  a  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  giuis:  and 
we  were  quickly  on  the  breast  of  the  great  "  Tran- 
quil Sea."  so  viciously  untranquil  in  its  seasons.  We 
entered  the  warm  winds  of  the  Pacific  anticyclone, 
which  distribute  tropical  wannth  over  the  westerii 
coast  of  the  American  continent  from  Alaska  to 
Lower  California,  and  in  a  vast  sweep  finally  touch 
and  cool  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  making  them  a  sub- 
tropical group,  relieved  from  excessive  heat.  On 
the  third  day  after  leaving  port  we  passed  a  huge 
floating  pine  log.  It  had  left  its  home  in  the  forests 
of  Oregon,  coursed  down  the  Columbia  River,  struck 
out  into  the  waste  of  waters,  and  in  solitude  was 
searching"  for  a  landing  somewhere  in  Oceanica. 
!Many  such  timbers,  after  making  their  automatic 
voyages  of  three  thousand  miles,  find  their  last 
harbour  among  the  coral  reefs  of  the  Pacific  Islands. 
Traces  of  the  United  States  ship  of  war  "  Levant." 


WITH    A    KIXG  21 

which,  it  is  believed,  foundered  in  the  Xorth  Pacific, 
without  a  survivor  to  tell  its  story,  were  found  by 
the  casting  of  one  of  her  masts  upon  the  beach  of 
Hawaii. 

Our  course  toward  Japan  was  unbroken  by  islands ; 
no  vessel  crossed  our  path  on  this  lightly  travelled 
ocean;  it  was  a  boundless  solitude  waiting  for  Asia 
to  rise  and  vex  it  with  a  challenge  to  the  commer- 
cial marine  of  America. 

To  avoid  the  cold  head  winds  of  the  northern 
latitude,  the  steamer's  course  was  laid  to  the  south, 
so  that  on  the  sixth  day  out  she  was  within  six 
hundred  miles  of  the  Hawaiian  group. 

Without  a  pause  for  rest  or  repair,  the  propeller, 
with  its  monotonous  rumble,  drove  us  for  many  days 
"  down  to  the  baths  of  the  western  stars,"'  until  the 
226.  of  February,  a  day  noted  for  two  events,  —  the 
anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  George  Washington 
and  the  loss  of  a  day  from  our  calendar.  On  cross- 
ing the  181st  meridian  of  longitude,  navigators,  in 
order  to  maintain  correct  time,  drop  a  day  from 
their  reckoning  when  moving  westward,  and  add  a 
day  when  going  eastward.  \\'hen  the  captain  de- 
clared that  the  226.  of  February  would  be  officially 
dropped  from  the  log-book  in  the  interests  of  navi- 
gation, and  therefore  the  celebration  of  the  anniver- 
sary would  be  jointly  lost,  the  passengers,  members 
of  several  races,  declared,  and  the  King  attested  it 
with  his  royal  assent,  that  the  lost  day  had  been 
picked  up  from  the  sea  and  should  be  celebrated. 
Thus  Americans,  Englishmen,  Japanese.  Chinese, 
and  Hawaiians  forgot  their  racial  lines  for  an  hour, 
and.  as  members  of  a  universal  nation,  gave  tribute 
to  the  man  who  laid  the  warp  upon  which  the  woof 


22       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  American  history  has  since  been  and  is  still  being 
woven. 

The  King,  whose  islands  were  discovered  by  Cap- 
tain Cook  at  the  time  Washington  was  dislodging 
the  British  from  Rhode  Island,  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  the  Count  d'Estaing  was  refusing 
to  fight  the  British  fleet,  made  a  response  to  a  toast, 
in  which  he  spoke  of  the  far-reaching  labours  of  the 
great  leader  in  building  a  nation  which  within  fifty 
years  from  the  time  of  his  death  reached  out  beyond 
the  continent  and  made  his  own  little  islands  an  in- 
dependent kingdom.  A  Japanese  student,  returning 
home  from  America,  said  that  when  Washington  was 
surveying  in  the  woods  the  sites  of  future  common- 
wealths, Japan  had  an  old  civilisation ;  but  that  when 
the  Japanese  reconstructed  their  ancient  political  sys- 
tem they  sought  wisdom  in  the  books  which  taught 
the  principles  of  government  in  America,  and  the 
name  of  Washington  was  written  across  every  page. 

While  these  men  of  incongruous  races  were  thus 
lauding  the  Father  of  our  country  on  the  far  Pacific 
sea,  one  might  imagine  the  old  hero,  seated  on  his 
Colonial  porch  at  Mount  Vernon,  looking  down  at 
the  Potomac  at  his  feet,  his  vision  of  American 
Empire  limited  by  the  Ohio  River.  If,  then,  an 
angel  had  whispered  in  his  ear  that  within  but 
threescore  years  his  work  would  reach  islands  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  of  which  he  had  hardly  heard, 
and  would  be,  moreover,  the  guide  for  men  who 
were  reconstructing  an  Asiatic  empire  of  thirty  mil- 
lion souls  of  which  he  knew  nothing,  he  would  have 
called  these  whisperings  the  vagaries  of  a  dream, 
and,  turning  in  his  courtly  way  to  his  wife,  have 
said,  "  Madam,  I  am  becoming  childish," 


WITH    A    KING  23 

The  next  day  a  westerly  gale  struck  the  vessel. 
As  she  fell  off  in  her  course,  for  a  moment,  into  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  the  King  happened  to  step  out  of 
the  saloon.  He  lost  his  hold  as  she  lurched,  and 
Royalty  rolled  into  the  lee  scuppers.  He  had  hardly 
reached  his  feet  before  a  hoary-headed  and  insolent 
wave  sprang  over  the  weather  taffrail  and  —  let  it 
be  said  in  whispers  —  struck  his  Majesty  flatly  in 
the  face;  then,  with  the  howl  of  a  demon,  jumped 
overboard,  and  in  some  cave  of  the  winds  where 
cyclones  are  kept  on  tap  boasted  to  his  riotous 
companions  that  he  had  slapped  a  king  in  the 
face. 

My  associates  in  the  Cabinet,  especially  Mr.  H. 
A.  P.  Carter,  who  was  a  man  of  much  force  of 
character,  had  asked  me  to  instruct  the  King,  dur- 
ing the  idle  hours  of  our  journey,  in  the  principles 
and  practice  of  good  government,  but  recommended 
that  it  be  done  so  cautiously  that  our  royal  master 
would  not  be  offended  or  suspect  that  he  was  placed 
under  tuition;  that  is,  as  my  colleagues  suggested, 
he  should  be  treated  as  the  hunter  treats  a  wild  ani- 
mal, by  approaching  him  from  the  leeward,  so  that 
the  royal  game  would  not  be  startled  by  the  smell 
of  offensive  instruction.  The  King  and  his  prede- 
cessors and  their  subjects  had  voluntarily,  and  with- 
out trained  reflection,  of  which  they  were  incapable, 
accepted  the  forms  of  Anglo-Saxon  institutions,  of 
the  nature  of  which  they  had  no  clear  idea.  The 
white  subjects  of  these  native  monarchs  also  accepted 
the  rule  of  the  native  kings  so  long  as  it  did  not 
imperil  liberty  or  property.  There  remained,  how- 
ever, the  irrepressible  conflict  between  Hawaiian 
traditions   and   habits   and    Anglo-Saxon   traditions 


24       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

and  habits.  So  long  as  the  native  rulers  could  be 
persuaded  to  govern  along  the  general  lines  of  the 
latter,  the  conflict  would  hardly  be  apparent,  though 
in  the  political  evolution  it  was  inevitable  that  it 
should  finally  take  aggressive  form  and  close  the 
native  dynasty.  The  members  of  the  King's  Cabi- 
net were  also  his  personal  friends,  and  they  earnestly 
desired  that  he  should  avoid  repeating  the  serious 
political  mistakes  already  made,  and  that  his  reign 
might  be  a  long  and  useful  one. 

I  therefore  approached  the  royal  mind,  in  our 
idle  hours,  with  much  caution.  I  commented  on 
the  wickedness  of  men  in  the  wanton  destruction 
of  royal  lives;  with  an  appearance  of  indifference 
I  named  many  of  the  monarchs  who  had  been 
strangled,  beheaded,  poisoned,  or  dethroned  because 
they  were  in  somebody's  way.  In  his  own  palace 
were  original  portraits  of  Louis  Philippe  and  Napo- 
leon III,  presented  by  those  sovereigns  to  the  King's 
predecessors.  Using  these  as  a  text,  I  recited  the 
blunders  which  had  overturned  their  dynasties,  but 
I  drew  no  morals,  or  what  the  preachers  call  "  appli- 
cations." He  calmly  replied,  however,  that  the  most 
of  the  monarchs  who  suffered  were  very  stupid,  and 
if  he  had  been  in  their  places  he  would  have  avoided 
their  errors.  Inasmuch  as  through  his  own  error, 
committed  several  months  previous  to  the  beginning 
of  this  journey,  his  own  throne  rocked  near  to  over- 
turning, I  confidentially  informed  my  colleagues  by 
letter  that  if  there  was  a  royal  road  to  learning,  our 
pupil  had  not  found  it,  and  my  attempts  to  intro- 
duce wisdom  into  his  spiritual  system  by  hypodermic 
injections  had  failed.  But  he  so  closely  resembled 
the  majority  of  monarchs  as  they  are  described  by 


WITH    A    KING  25 

historians,  and  was  so  simply  human  in  his  thoughts 
and  projects,  that  he  would  be  indeed  an  audacious 
person  who  could  honestly  censure  him.  Nor  can 
we  wonder  at  the  blunders  of  kings  when  so  many 
of  their  wisest  counsellors  honestly  lead  them  astray. 
Ships  have  the  advantage  over  kings  that  they  are 
warned  by  fixed  lighthouses  and  bell-buoys,  while 
kings  find  in  the  warnings  of  many  advisers  false 
lights,  and  whistling-buoys  that  have  drifted  away 
from  their  true  anchorage.  As  I  knew  that  I  should 
never  be  the  adviser  of  any  other  monarch,  I  plied 
him  with  the  maxims  and  aphorisms  of  statesmen; 
but  my  royal  master  usually  fell  off  into  a  quiet 
nap,  leaving  me  only  the  consolation  of  doing  a 
duty  which  I  supposed,  however,  would  be  without 
profit. 

In  these  efforts  to  fertilise  the  royal  mind  the 
Chamberlain  adroitly  aided  by  taking  the  part  of 
the  chorus  in  the  Greek  drama ;  he  made  judicious 
responses  with  an  appearance  of  indifference;  re- 
peating often  some  story  of  a  king's  dethronement 
with  the  comment,  "  Risky  business ;  risky  busi- 
ness !  "  When  our  royal  master  flung  directly  in 
our  faces  the  maxim  of  British  statesmen  that  "  the 
King  can  do  no  wrong,"  and  reinforced  it  by  a 
quotation  from  an  eminent  orator  in  Parliament, 
that  "  the  King  can  do  no  wrong,  even  if  he  breaks 
the  seventh  commandment,"  I  discovered  that  he  did 
not  understand  the  political  distribution  of  power  by 
which  this  maxim  could  be  approved.  I  remarked 
with  studied  indifference  that  subjects  never  disci- 
plined their  monarchs  with  rods  or  probations,  but 
rudely  knocked  them  out  when  they  committed  gross 
mistakes.     To  this  he  replied  that  kings  were  justi- 


26       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

fied  in  resorting  to  stratagems  to  suppress  agitators ; 
and  he  believed  that  some  of  his  own  subjects 
should  be  banished  for  opposing  his  will.  My  royal 
school  was  a  failure,  and  my  majestic  pupil  learned 
nothing. 


WITH    A    KING  27 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Bay  of  Yedo  —  Fusyama  —  Saluted  by  Foreign  War- 
ships —  The  King  Becomes  the  Guest  of  the  Japanese 
Emperor  —  Lands  to  the  Music  of  His  Own  National 
Anthem  —  The  Secret  of  Our  Reception  —  Lessens  in 
Etiquette  —  Japanese  and  New  England  Bells. 

AT  early  dawn  on  the  4th  of  March  we  steamed 
up  the  Bay  of  Yedo.  To  the  westward  we 
caught  a  faint  ghmmer  of  the  snow-clad  summit  of 
sacred  Fusyama  rising  in  a  truncated  cone  13,000 
feet  from  the  level  plain.  Though  in  our  little  king- 
dom there  were  mountains  of  nearly  the  same  height, 
with  several  a  thousand  feet  higher,  not  one  of  them 
rose  as  abruptly  or  as  symmetrically  from  the  sea 
or  plain.  The  many  small  fishing-villages  along  the 
coast,  and  the  fleets  of  oddly  rigged  sampans,  marked 
a  thickly  settled  country. 

The  King  hesitated  to  display  the  royal  standard, 
for  the  suite  advised  him  that  if  no  notice  was  taken 
of  it  he  would  have  voluntarily  humiliated  himself. 
For  the  same  cautious  reason  we  sent  no  notice  of 
the  royal  intention  to  visit  Japan,  but  had  requested 
a  fellow  passenger,  who  was  a  resident  of  Yoko- 
hama, to  secure  for  us  lodging  at  one  of  the  hotels. 
But  the  captain  wished  to  announce  the  fact  that  he 
carried  a  distinguished  person,  and  as  the  King's 
inclination  coincided  with  his  desire,  Robert,  the 
valet,  extricated  the  royal  standard  from  its  canvas 
bag,  and  it  was  soon  flying  at  the  main  truck.     We 


28       AROUND    THE    AVORLD 

did  not  expect  that  under  the  circumstances  it  would 
receive  a  salute. 

While  we  leaned  over  the  rail  looking  at  the 
Bluffs,  or  foreign  settlement  of  Yokohama,  we  saw 
a  number  of  warships  in  the  harbour ;  seven  Russian, 
two  British,  one  French,  and  three  Japanese.  It  was 
an  imposing  line  of  sea-fighters,  stretching  for  a  mile 
before  the  city.  They  rode  at  their  anchors  in  silence 
and  without  a  sign  of  life.  As  our  steamer  crossed 
the  bows  of  the  first  ironclad,  a  Russian,  there  was 
a  sudden  discharge  of  saluting  guns  from  her  bat- 
teries. At  the  same  moment  the  Hawaiian  flag  was 
broken  out  on  the  mainmast.  Swarms  of  sailors 
sprang  aloft  and  manned  the  yards,  that  is,  stood, 
in  line  along  them,  each  man  extending  his  arm  to 
the  shoulder  of  the  next  one.  As  if  by  magic  the 
ship  was  dressed  from  stem  to  stern  with  the  flags 
of  all  nations.  The  report  of  the  first  gun  was 
followed  slowly  by  a  royal  salute  of  twenty-one 
guns,  and  our  royal  standard  was  dipped  in  re- 
sponse. Within  a  minute  we  passed  the  bows  of 
the  next  warship.  From  her  mainmast  also  the 
Hawaiian  flag  was  unfurled,  her  crew  also  manned 
the  yards,  the  ship  was  dressed  with  flags  as  had 
been  the  Russian,  and  the  slow  discharges  of  her 
saluting  guns  swelled  the  volume  of  noise.  The 
royal  standard  on  the  "  Oceanic  "  was  again  dipped 
in  response,  and  as  we  crossed  the  bows  of  all  the 
warships  in  succession,  the  same  ceremonies  were 
repeated.  The  crews  mounting  and  manning  the 
yards,  cheering  as  we  passed ;  the  roar  of  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-three  cannon;  the  smoke  rising 
in  clouds  and  rolling  away  in  dense  volumes  toward 
the  bay;    the  innumerable  flags  with  which  the  war- 


WITH    A    KING  29 

ships  were  dressed,  appearing  and  disappearing  in 
the  smoke,  —  made  an  extraordinary  and  brilliant 
scene,  and  a  startling  one,  because  unexpected.  The 
King  stood  impassive,  lifting  his  hat  as  we  passed 
each  vessel,  while  our  royal  standard  dipped  in 
response. 

The  anchor  chain  of  our  steamer  had  hardly  ceased 
its  rattling  when  a  boat  from  the  Japanese  warship 
"  Mikado  "  reached  the  gangway.  An  admiral,  six 
other  naval  officers,  and  two  Imperial  Commissioners, 
from  his  Imperial  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Japan, 
all  in  full  uniform,  boarded  our  steamer,  and  asked, 
with  due  official  etiquette,  to  be  presented  to  the 
King  of  Hawaii.  This  was  done  by  our  Chamber- 
lain. The  Imperial  Commissioners  stated  that  they 
had  been  commanded  by  his  Imperial  Majesty  to  re- 
ceive and  welcome  his  Majesty  the  King  of  Hawaii, 
and  invite  him  to  be  the  Emperor's  guest  so  long 
as  he  remained  in  the  Empire.  The  King  towered 
above  them  with  his  large  stature,  received  them 
easily  and  gracefully,  and  replied  that  it  would  please 
him  to  become  the  guest  of  the  Emperor.  After  a 
brief  conversation  he  was  asked,  with  his  suite,  to 
enter  the  boat  of  a  warship,  and  be  conveyed  to  one 
of  the  Emperor's  palaces  near  the  city  of  Yokohama. 
He  remained  for  a  few  moments  to  receive  the  calls 
of  the  admirals  and  commanders  of  the  British  and 
French  warships.  We  were  not  prepared  for  thi-s 
very  splendid  reception;  we  were  in  the  negligent 
clothing  of  travellers  eagerly  in  search  of  bath-tubs, 
but  the  King  stood  impassive  in  this  group  of  bril- 
liantly dressed  officials,  making  no  apology  for  his 
appearance,  for  a  king  never  apologises.  We  en- 
tered the  boat  of  the  warship;    the  royal  standard 


30       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  Hawaii  was  fixed  in  her  bows,  and  a  launch  towed 
us  to  the  landing.  As  the  boat  drew  close  to  the 
shore  we  noticed  great  crowds  on  the  docks,  and 
long  lines  of  troops  in  the  street.  When  the  boat 
touched  the  landing,  the  strains  of  "  Hawaii  Ponoi  " 
burst  from  the  shore.  This  unexpected  compliment 
from  the  Emperor's  military  band,  this  music  of  our 
own  country  in  a  strange  land,  upset  us  instantly, 
and  a  snivelling  monarch,  with  a  snivelling  suite, 
uncovered,  our  Japanese  escort  uncovering  also, 
until  the  anthem  ended. 

Now  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  this  Empire 
one  of  the  kings  of  Christendom  was  on  her  soil. 
The  royal  party  walked  a  short  distance  between 
lines  of  troops  to  a  public  office  near  the  landing. 
Many  officials  were  presented  to  the  King;  confec- 
tions and  wines  were  served.  An  imperial  carriage, 
brought  from  Tokio  by  railway,  drove  to  the  door, 
and  the  King,  with  his  suite  and  the  Emperor's 
Chamberlain,  entered  it.  Both  sides  of  the  streets, 
for  a  mile  or  more,  were  lined  with  troops,  and 
behind  them  were  crowds  of  people,  silent  and  stolid ; 
to  them  it  was  a  rare  sight.  Intertwined  Japanese 
and  Hawaiian  flags  appeared  on  nearly  all  the  slight 
frame  houses  fronting  on  our  line  of  march.  We 
were  slowly  driven,  through  the  thickly  settled  part 
of  the  city  of  Yokohama,  to  a  grand  house  or  palace 
on  rising  ground  overlooking  the  city;  built  for  the 
convenience  of  the  Emperor's  guests.  It  was  fur- 
nished with  exquisite  articles  of  Japanese  art,  but 
European  beds,  chairs,  sofas,  and  bureaus  had  been 
added  for  the  comfort  of  foreign  guests.  A  retinue 
of  servants  put  us  in  our  chambers,  and  we  were  left 
to  ourselves.    Mr.  Nagasaki,  the  Imperial  Chamber- 


WITH    A    KING  81 

lain,  was  graduated  at  the  College  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Michigan,  and,  with  a  romantic  faith  in  the  future 
of  his  country,  was  an  apostle  of  American  ideas. 
The  Emperor  had  assigned  to  him  the  duty  of  at- 
tending the  King  while  he  remained  in  the  country. 

The  succession  of  surprises  was  now  suspended 
for  a  few  hours.  The  suddenness  of  this  spectacular 
reception  dazed  me.  We  lit  cigars  and  sat  down  in 
the  King's  bedchamber  and  looked  at  each  other. 

"  Maikai  no!"  ("Very  good!")  said  the  King. 
"What  do  you  think  about  it?"  he  asked. 

"I  do  not  think,"  I  replied;  "I  am  confused; 
there  comes  into  my  head  every  moment  the  story 
of  the  American  humourist  who  relates  how  a  farmer 
on  the  remote  prairie  returned  home  after  a  few 
days'  absence  to  find  his  home  burned  by  the  In- 
dians, his  stock  run  off,  and  his  wife  and  children 
butchered.  He  gazed  for  a  moment  at  this  desola- 
tion, and  exclaimed,  '  This  is  too  redicklus ! '  " 

But  we  were  impatient  to  know  the  reason  for 
this  grand  reception,  and  at  luncheon  the  Imperial 
Chamberlain  told  us  that  the  Imperial  Consul-Gen- 
eral  in  San  Francisco  had  telegraphed  that  the  King 
would  visit  Japan.  The  government  consulted  the 
diplomatic  corps,  especially  Mr.  Bingham,  the  Ameri- 
can Minister  at  the  Japanese  Court,  and  it  was  ad- 
vised that  the  existence  of  a  treaty  between  Hawaii 
and  Japan  placed  the  Japanese  government  under  an 
obligation  to  receive  the  Hawaiian  King  as  it  would 
receive  the  monarch  of  any  country  under  treaty  and 
friendly  relations  with  Japan.  We  had  not  realised 
the  force  of  this  obligation  when  we  left  our  islands, 
and  besides,  if  it  was  an  obligation,  it  might  not  be 
a  strict  one,  or  it  might  be  ignored.     But  the  King 


32       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

was  prepared  to  "  straddle  "  in  the  matter  of  rank, 
and  was  ready  to  appear  in  his  proper  character  as 
king,  or  incognito  as  prince.  And  as  to  our  national 
anthem,  our  clever  consul  in  Japan,  Mr.  R.  W. 
Irwin,  a  great-grandson  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  had, 
with  the  sagacity  of  his  illustrious  ancestor,  ferreted 
out  a  copy  of  the  music,  owned  by  a  lady  who  had 
been  a  missionary  in  Hawaii,  and  had  furnished  it 
to  the  imperial  band-master. 

The  government  of  Japan  was  well  aware  of  the 
importance  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  situated  at  the 
cross-roads  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  while  its  treaty 
with  the  little  kingdom  gave  the  latter  the  arbitrary 
and  "  extra-territorial  "  power  which  the  European 
nations  held  in  the  treaty  ports  of  Japan.  Besides, 
her  trading  ships  and  navy  found  the  port  of  Hono- 
lulu most  convenient. 

The  Emperor,  therefore,  commanded  that  the  first 
visit  to  Japan  of  one  of  the  kings  of  a  nation  of  the 
brotherhood  to  which  his  own  nation  did  not  belong 
should  be  cordial  and  memorable. 

Our  luncheon  was  served  in  the  European  style. 
There  is  nothing  which  a  French  chef  can  cook 
which  a  Japanese  cannot  successfully  imitate.  The 
meats  and  vegetables  were  perhaps  inferior  to  those 
used  in  Europe;  for  the  Japanese  consume  little 
meat,  and  their  vegetables  are  of  a  different  kind 
from  those  commonly  used  in  Europe  and  America. 

We  were  now  allowed  to  rest  during  the  day, 
after  the  serious  business  of  the  reception  by  the 
Emperor  on  the  morrow  had  been  arranged.  The  de- 
tails were  with  much  deference  submitted  by  the 
Imperial  Chamberlain  to  the  King,  and  he  approved 
of  them.     These  arrangements  were  novel,  for  there 


WITH    A    KING  33 

was  no  precedent  for  the  reception  of  a  foreign 
monarch;  but  the  etiquette  of  European  courts  was 
closely  followed.  The  Governor  of  the  Province  of 
Kanagawa  called  in  the  evening,  but  etiquette  for- 
bade general  presentations  until  the  monarchs  had 
exchanged  visits. 

The  delicate  subject  of  the  exchange  of  speeches 
was  disposed  of  by  the  understanding  that  none 
should  be  formally  made;  we  were  relieved  of  the 
dreary  incident  of  the  two  sovereigns  pulling  manu- 
scripts out  of  their  pockets  and  reading  high-sound- 
ing phrases  to  each  other.  My  royal  master,  who 
was,  as  I  have  said,  familiar  with  royal  etiquette, 
now  instructed  his  suite  regarding  their  attitude  and 
behaviour.  The  Chamberlain  needed  none,  for  he 
had  been  long  in  his  Majesty's  service.  I,  the  Min- 
ister, however,  was  an  untutored  American  who 
until  lately  had  been  denied  the  priceless  blessings 
of  royal  associations,  and,  unless  well  instructed, 
there  was  danger  that  I  might  commit  an  error  like 
that  of  an  American  Minister  to  Austria,  who  at  an 
imperial  reception  discovered  an  empty  chair  which 
he  innocently  occupied,  though,  as  he  was  later  in- 
formed, it  had  been  reserved  for  the  Emperor.  The 
King  directed  me  to  stand  at  his  right,  and  closely 
watch  the  conduct  of  the  Prime  Minister  of  Japan, 
with  whom  my  rank  was  equal.  As  I  was  about 
to  wear  a  sword  for  the  first  time,  he  warned  me 
against  allowing  it  to  get  between  my  legs. 

I  noticed  that  the  valet,  Robert,  had  strongly  im- 
pressed the  lower  Japanese  attendants  with  the  dig- 
nity of  his  office  of  "  Standard-Bearer,"  and,  instead 
of  occupying  servants'  quarters,  was  placed  in  a 
richly  furnished  room,  with  an  attendant. 

3 


34       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

By  the  order  of  the  Governor  of  Kanagawa  there 
was  an  exceedingly  grand  display  of  fireworks  dur- 
ing the  evening.  Just  as  the  darkness  closed  on  the 
last  of  the  fiery  devices,  the  deep  rich  tones  of  the 
bell  of  a  Buddhist  temple  rose  from  a  distance,  and 
seemed  to  fill  the  air  with  a  solemn  sweetness,  I 
recalled  with  no  pleasant  feeling  how  the  orthodox 
bell-makers  of  New  England,  in  my  early  days, 
mixed  the  harshness  of  the  old  theology  with  the 
bell-metal,  so  that  the  bell-tongue  struck  "  salva- 
tion "  on  the  saving  side  of  its  rim,  and  then  swung 
angrily  through  its  arc  till  it  struck  "  damnation  " 
on  the  opposite  side.  Here  the  air  was  filled  with 
a  sweet  melody  that  suggested  final  rest,  —  if  one 
manages,  that  is,  to  struggle  through  the  five  hun- 
dred monstrous  reincarnations  which  the  faithful 
enter  before  they  reach  the  eternal  repose  upon  the 
lotus-flower. 


WITH    A    KING  35 


CHAPTER   V 

Visit   to    the    Emperor   at   Tokio  —  Reception   at    the    Palace 

—  The  Empress  —  A  Lady  in  Waiting  —  Comparison  of 
the  Emperor  and  the  King  —  Lodged  in  the  Palace  of  the 
Enriokwan  —  Robert  the  Valet  Falls  Again  —  The  Royal 
Feather    Cloak  —  The   Emperor   Returns   the    King's  Visit 

—  Dinners,  Luncheons,  and  Receptions  —  An  Imperial 
Prince  Always  Present  with  the  King  —  Reflections. 

THE  following  morning  we  dressed  for  the 
imperial  reception.  When  I  put  on  my  gor- 
geous trappings  for  the  first  time,  with  sword  and 
cocked  hat,  I  was  as  much  absorbed  in  it  as  the 
Chinese  pirate  who  at  his  execution  was  kindly  sup- 
plied by  a  British  officer  with  a  pair  of  English 
boots,  which  so  engaged  his  attention  that  he  showed 
a  culpable  indifference  to  his  own  hanging. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  imperial  carriage  with  its 
mounted  escort  was  at  the  door,  and  we  entered  it 
with  the  Emperor's  Chamberlain,  followed  by  an- 
other with  the  Imperial  Commissioners.  We  took 
the  imperial  railway  car  at  the  station  and  arrived 
in  Tokio  in  an  hour.  There  a  large  number  of 
officials  received  us,  and  led  us  to  a  room  deco- 
rated with  flowers,  where  confections  and  wine  were 
served.  There  was  the  same  quiet  in  the  room, 
though  it  was  filled  with  officials  in  uniform,  as  if 
the  Emperor  himself  were  present:  the  same  re- 
spectful, and  what  many,  who  fail  to  understand 
the  Japanese  nature  and  custom,  would  regard  as 
abject,   service.     One  of  the  Imperial  Princes  now 


36        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

appeared,  and,  after  his  presentation  to  the  King, 
declared  that  by  order  of  the  Emperor  he  was  to 
attend  his  Majesty  during  his  stay  in  the  Empire. 
The  King,  with  the  Imperial  Prince,  now  entered 
one  of  the  Emperor's  open  carriages,  while  the 
Chamberlain  and  I  entered  another.  As  the  car- 
riages moved  into  the  street  they  were  surrounded 
by  a  large  body  of  lancers.  The  railway  station 
was  decorated  with  Hawaiian  and  Japanese  flags, 
and  along  the  route  of  travel  toward  the  Emperor's 
palace,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  these  countless  flags, 
intertwined,  decorated  the  houses.  The  troops  lined 
both  sides  of  the  streets,  and  behind  them,  as  in 
Yokohama,  the  people  were  massed,  silent,  sober, 
and  deeply  interested.  An  ancient  custom,  recently 
forbidden  by  the  government,  required  the  people 
to  prostrate  themselves  on  the  approach  of  the 
Mikado.  The  new  order  of  things  directed  the 
people  simply  to  bow  respectfully.  Many  of  them 
seemed  to  be  quite  uncertain  as  to  their  duty  in  the 
presence  of  a  foreign  king.  All,  however,  bowed 
low,  some  even  to  the  ground. 

Tokio  is  a  city  of  castles  and  moats,  formerly  the 
military  encampment  of  the  Shoguns  and  their  great 
retainers.  The  carriages  passed  over  many  bridges 
spanning  these  moats,  until,  after  a  journey  of  four 
miles,  the  bugle  announced  our  arrival  at  Akasaka, 
the  palace  of  the  Emperor.  The  etiquette  of  Euro- 
pean courts  requires  a  monarch  to  receive  a  visiting 
monarch  at  the  threshold  of  his  palace.  The  Em- 
peror left  his  audience-hall  and  awaited  the  King  in 
a  room  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  palace.  The 
King  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  and  with  the  Im- 
perial   Prince  entered   this   room,   in   the   centre   of 


WITH    A    KING  37 

which  the  Emperor  stood  alone.  The  suite,  with 
officers  of  the  imperial  household,  followed,  and 
remained  a  few  feet  distant  from  the  monarchs. 
They  shook  hands  —  an  unusual  proceeding  on  the 
part  of  the  Emperor  —  and,  through  an  interpreter, 
who  stood  in  a  bowing  attitude  behind  the  Emperor, 
conversed  for  several  minutes.  The  Emperor  then 
looked  toward  his  own  Chamberlain,  and  I,  as  the 
next  in  rank,  was  presented  to  him,  and  the  presen- 
tation of  the  King's  Chamberlain  followed.  The 
Emperor  then  turned,  and  with  the  King  by  his  side 
walked  briskly  through  several  richly  furnished  halls 
to  the  audience-room.  The  Emperor  walks  alone 
when  before  his  people ;  the  Empress  is  never  at 
his  side;  the  belief  in  his  divine  origin  permits  no 
person  in  the  Empire  to  appear  to  be  his  equal,  and 
the  Empress  follows  him.  But  for  the  first  time  in 
his  own  reign,  and  in  those  of  his  predecessors,  he 
walked  by  the  side  of  his  kingly  guest. 

In  the  audience-chamber  the  Empress  (called  by 
the  nation  Kogo-Sama  —  "Empress  of  Spring") 
sat  near  a  table  covered  with  richly  embroidered 
silk.  She  was  magnificently  dressed  in  Japanese 
costume,  though  she  urges  the  ladies  of  her  court 
to  adopt  European  styles,  and  does  so  herself  in 
informal  ceremonies.  Her  face  was  enamelled,  and 
her  lips  and  eyebrows  were  stained  with  cosmetics. 
The  Emperor,  "  Son  of  the  Heavenly  Light-Giver," 
presented  the  King  to  her.  She  did  not  rise,  but 
returned  the  King's  salutation  with  the  least  move- 
ment of  her  head  and  eyes.  The  Emperor  raised 
his  eyes,  and  the  Imperial  Chamberlain  presented 
me,  and  then  our  Chamberlain,  to  her  Imperial 
Majesty.     She  recognised  us  with  the  same  slight 


38        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

movement  of  the  head.  The  Emperor  and  the  King 
then  sat  down,  while  the  large  body  of  courtiers,  in 
full  uniforms,  and  we  of  the  King's  suite,  stood  at 
a  short  distance.  There  was  no  attendance  by  the 
ladies  of  the  Court,  but  I  noticed  some  cautious 
peeps  from  behind  the  screens.  I  had  observed 
a  pretty  Japanese  girl,  in  a  Parisian  dress  and  a 
Gainsborough  hat,  standing  by  the  side  of  the  Em- 
press. The  lips  of  the  Empress  moved,  and  her 
voice  was  hardly  above  a  whisper.  The  young  lady 
bowed  low,  so  as  to  catch  the  sound.  Then,  turn- 
ing to  the  King,  with  the  clear,  charming  accent  of 
a  well-bred  Englishwoman,  she  said : 

"  Your  Majesty,  her  Imperial  Majesty  welcomes 
you  to  this  country.  She  hopes  that  you  have  had 
a  pleasant  voyage." 

The  King  replied  that  the  voyage  was  a  long  but 
a  pleasant  one.  He  made  no  reference  to  his  struggle 
in  the  lee  scuppers  of  the  "  Oceanic."  The  young 
girl  bowed  to  the  Empress  and  interpreted  the  reply. 
The  lips  of  the  Empress  again  moved,  and  the  girl 
translated  the  words  in  charming  English  to  the 
King.  The  Empress  hoped  that  he  would  enjoy  his 
visit  in  Japan.  The  King  replied  that  he  should. 
The  pretty  interpreter,  the  daughter  of  Count  In- 
ouye,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  had  recently 
returned  from  England,  where  she  had  been  for  some 
years  at  school. 

Lacquer  trays,  with  confections,  were  now  placed 
on  the  table,  but  were  not  touched ;  it  is  the  custom 
to  send  these  articles  to  the  residence  of  the  guest 
after  his  departure.  The  Emperor  and  the  King 
now  rose  and  stood  beside  each  other.  The  Em- 
peror was  slightly  above  the  average  height  of  his 


WITH    A    KING  39 

race;  his  complexion  was  dark,  and  his  face  an  open 
one;  his  forehead  was  unusually  high;  his  eyes 
black  and  penetrating;  nor  did  he  look  like  one 
who  would  put  himself  entirely  in  the  hands  of  his 
Ministers;  his  dress  was  a  European  military  uni- 
form, and  the  breast  of  his  coat  was  decorated  with 
Orders.  The  King,  with  a  complexion  unusually 
dark  for  a  Hawaiian,  towered  above  him,  graceful, 
imperturbable.  The  contrast  was  striking;  but  the 
inscrutable  face  and  eye  of  the  Emperor  disclosed 
the  stronger  character.  The  gossips  of  the  court,  as 
we  soon  learned,  admired  the  large  size  and  excel- 
lent manners  of  the  King.  Now  the  Emperor's  sub- 
jects believed  that  he  was  the  son  of  Ama-Terasu, 
the  sun-goddess,  with  a  lineage  running  back  for 
twenty  centuries.  In  former  days,  they  believed,  he 
was  a  sacred  dragon,  and  their  historians  warned 
the  people  to  behave,  "  lest  their  troubles  ruffle  the 
Mikado's  scales."  I  ventured  seriously  and  respect- 
fully to  ask  one  of  the  members  of  the  Court,  who 
had  been  educated  in  Europe,  if  the  higher  classes 
accepted  this  belief  in  the  Emperor's  divine  origin. 
He  replied,  —  "Certainly,  why  not?  Your  people 
believe  that  Adam  and  Eve  were  made  out  of  dust ; 
you  run  the  human  race  back  into  a  mud-hole.  We 
believe  that  a  ruler  of  people  has  a  more  creditable 
origin  than  that." 

After  an  interview  of  twenty  minutes  the  King 
retired  with  the  Emperor  at  his  side.  In  the  last 
room  of  the  suite  they  shook  hands  again,  and  we 
entered  the  imperial  carriage.  It  carried  us,  sur- 
rounded with  a  squadron  of  lancers,  for  four  miles, 
to  the  palace  of  the  Enriokwan,  which  had  been 
assigned  to  the  royal  visitor.     This  was  one  of  the 


40        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ancient  castles  of  the  daimyos,  surrounded  by  a  wide 
moat,  and  reached  by  a  bridge.  Two  years  before 
this  time  it  had  been  occupied  by  General  Grant  and 
his  suite.  In  the  large  court-yard  a  battalion  of 
troops  was  stationed  as  a  guard  of  honour.  The 
building  contained  numerous  chambers,  furnished 
with  the  richest  Japanese  and  European  furniture. 
On  the  table  of  the  dressing-room  we  noticed,  as 
we  passed  through  it,  the  trays  of  confections  and 
sweets  which  had  been  placed  before  us  in  the 
audience-chamber;  these  had  been  carried  by  swift 
messengers  and  reached  the  palace  before  we  ar- 
rived. There  were  now  in  this  spacious  building 
only  three  guests,  —  the  King  and  his  two  com- 
panions; but  a  score  of  servants  stood  in  the  par- 
lours and  at  the  doors  of  the  bedchambers.  In  a 
distant  part  were  rooms  occupied  by  the  officials 
who  were  assigned  by  the  Emperor  to  attend  the 
King.  It  was  assumed  that  we  had  European 
"  habits,"  and  spirits  and  champagne  were  tendered 
to  us  promptly;  the  Emperor,  fortunately,  did  not 
place  his  royal  guest  under  the  restrictions  which 
his  government  placed  upon  the  American  instruc- 
tors who  were  employed  in  the  Japanese  schools, 
one  of  which,  in  a  written  contract,  provided  "  that 
the  said  teacher  shall  not  get  drunk." 

After  we  had  admired  the  rich  and  delicate  fur- 
niture which  adorned  this  romantic  palace,  we  en- 
tered the  King's  bedchamber.  Here  we  found  the 
valet,  Robert,  lying  on  one  of  the  sofas  in  a  tipsy 
sleep. 

The  suite  had  discovered  in  the  morning  that  the 
King  had  resolved  to  give  a  distinctly  Hawaiian 
colouring  to  the  appearance  of  his  party.     He  had 


WITH    A    KING  41 

also,  with  a  view  to  contingencies,  secretly  placed 
in  one  of  his  trunks  a  rich  feather  cloak,  one  worn 
by  some  of  his  predecessors.  He  directed  the  valet 
to  wear  this  cloak,  but  under  no  circumstances  to 
appear  to  be  a  member  of  the  royal  party.  This 
additional  service  delighted  Robert,  who  now,  ac- 
cording to  a  confidential  statement  made  to  his 
Japanese  attendant,  was  "  Keeper  of  the  Royal 
Standard,"  "  Groom  of  the  Feather  Cloak,"  and 
"  Valet  in  Ordinary."  While  in  the  imperial  car, 
on  the  way  to  Tokio,  the  King's  suite  had  suddenly 
seen  Robert,  sitting  in  state  in  the  luggage  car, 
dressed  in  a  silk  hat,  white  gloves,  and  with  the 
gorgeous  royal  cloak  hanging  over  his  shoulders, 
the  tableau  being  completed  by  a  group  of  Japa- 
nese attendants  who  were  standing  before  him,  lost 
in  admiration.  According  to  Hawaiian  custom  this 
cloak  could  be  worn  only  by  kings  or  by  chiefs  of 
the  highest  rank.  Several  of  the  high  officials  no- 
ticed its  brilliant  colours  and  respectfully  asked  the 
King  about  its  quality  and  significance.  He  replied 
that  it  was  part  of  the  insignia  of  the  highest  office 
in  his  kingdom.  They  at  once  began  to  apologise 
for  omitting  to  pay  sufficient  respect  to  the  wearer 
of  this  rich  emblem,  and  inquired  whether  they 
should  not  forthwith  bring  the  wearer  into  the  im- 
perial car  and  place  him  near  his  Majesty.  The 
King,  finding  himself  in  a  scrape  out  of  which  we, 
the  suite,  could  not  help  him,  replied  that  the 
Hawaiian  chiefs  might  order  a  servant  to  wear  it 
for  convenience'  sake;  but  this  explanation  puzzled 
the  Japanese,  for,  on  this  principle,  a  monarch  might 
order  his  lackey  to  wear  his  crown  for  the  sake  of 
convenience.     The  Japanese  asked  no  further  ques- 


42        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

tions,  but  greatly  admired  the  cloak.  After  reach- 
ing the  station  in  Tokio  the  valet  was  taken,  with 
the  luggage,  to  the  palace  assigned  to  us,  where  he 
found  abundance  of  wines  and  spirits,  which  he  con- 
sumed until  we  arrived  and  found  him  asleep  in  the 
King's  bedchamber,  with  the  silk  hat  far  down  over 
his  head  and  the  gorgeous  cloak  askew  on  his  shoul- 
ders. He  was  at  once  deposed  from  his  office  of 
"  Groom  of  the  Feather  Cloak,"  but  the  King  re- 
fused to  discharge  him,  because  he  believed  he  would 
be  useful  in  Europe. 

We  were  now  left  to  ourselves  for  a  short  time. 
After  taking  off  our  heavy  uniforms  we  wandered 
through  the  chambers  of  the  palace,  filled  with  deli- 
cate and  exquisite  furniture  and  priceless  vases  of 
Satsuma  ware,  but  were  soon  called  to  prepare  for 
a  reception  of  the  Emperor.  It  is  the  rule  of  Euro- 
pean etiquette  that  a  monarch's  visit  must  be  returned 
within  an  hour,  and  a  bugler  had  arrived  with  word 
that  the  Emperor  was  approaching  our  palace.  We 
resumed  our  official  dress  and  entered  one  of  the 
drawing-rooms,  where  the  King  stood,  near  its  door, 
with  his  Minister  of  State,  while  the  Chamberlain 
received  the  Emperor  at  the  door  of  the  imperial 
carriage.  The  King  met  him  as  he  entered  the 
drawing-room,  and  they  took  seats  with  the  inter- 
preter behind  them,  his  body  bent  in  a  suppliant 
posture.  The  courtiers  and  the  King's  suite  stood 
in  a  group  a  few  steps  distant,  while  their  Majesties 
contrived  some  conversation.  After  a  short  inter- 
view the  Emperor  arose,  and  with  the  King  walked 
to  his  carriage;  the  battalion  presented  arms,  the 
bugle  sounded,  and  the  imperial  carriage  crossed 
the  bridge  over  the  moat  amid  the  clattering  of  the 


WITH    A    KING  43 

lancers'  sabres.  The  Imperial  Princes  then  called; 
several  of  them  spoke  the  English  language  fluently 
and  had  lived  in  Europe.  After  these  came  a  score 
of  officials,  and  then  came  Judge  Bingham,  the 
American  Minister,  who  gave  us  excellent  counsel 
in  all  things;  kindly  assuming  to  advise  us,  for 
our  kingdom  in  truth  lay  within  "  the  sphere  of 
American  influence,"  where,  from  an  international 
point  of  view,  it  slept  for  protection  like  a  black- 
and-tan  terrier  between  the  paws  of  a  powerful 
mastiff. 

The  King  was  asked  if  he  would  receive  men  of 
note  and  consideration  in  the  Empire  at  luncheon 
and  dinner  each  day,  so  that  they  might  be  honoured 
with  his  acquaintance.  These  luncheons  and  dinners 
were  in  fact  State  banquets,  continued  from  day  to 
day  during  our  visit  of  ten  days,  and  were  attended 
by  scores  of  prominent  men.  An  Imperial  Prince 
presided  over  them,  as  the  ever-present  representa- 
tive of  the  Emperor.  Their  service,  both  in  dishes 
and  in  table  furniture,  was  entirely  European,  and 
would  have  been  creditable  to  any  European  court. 

After  the  strange  events  of  the  day,  when  quiet 
and  strange  silence  fell  upon  the  moated  castle,  I 
asked  myself  if  I  were  not  indeed  in  a  dream,  for 
these  events  seemed  to  be  as  unsubstantial  as  a 
vision.  I  had,  as  a  youthful  traveller  struggling  in 
the  common  crowd,  seen  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
open  the  Holbrook  Viaduct;  the  procession  of  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  the  French  on  their  way 
to  the  Tuileries,  to  the  opening  of  the  Legislative 
Corps;  the  entrance  into  Berlin,  through  the  Bran- 
denburg Gate,  of  the  victorious  army  of  Prussia 
after    its    victory    over    France;    the    burial    of    an 


44       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

American  philanthropist  in  Westminster  Abbey;  and 
the  largest  exhibitions  of  civic  splendour  in  the 
United  States.  But  here  I  was  suddenly  cast  into, 
and  become  a  part  of,  a  pageant  of  Oriental  splen- 
dour which  far  exceeded  these  others  in  its  romantic 
aspects  and  gorgeous  display.  The  Polynesian  is 
only  a  child  at  best,  and  I  suspected  that  my  royal 
master  did  not  regard  these  events  other  than  as  a 
child  would  regard  a  glittering  toy.  But,  aside  from 
these  superb  spectacular  effects,  the  truly  impressive 
feature  of  it  was  that  I  should  be  suddenly  placed 
in  intimate  relations  with  the  men  who  were  making 
the  most  brilliant  political  romance  of  the  century; 
the  reconstructors  of  an  ancient  and  large  empire 
without  the  use  of  a  bastille  and  guillotine;  men 
who  were  more  daring  than  Columbus  in  driving 
without  compass  or  star  into  the  stubborn  waves  of 
an  unknown  political  sea;  men,  too,  who  were  hon- 
estly believed  to  be  "  pagans "  by  the  people  of 
Christendom,  and  in  the  contemptuous  sense  of  that 
word.  We  were  face  to  face  with  vast  experiments 
which  concerned  the  fortunes  and  destiny  of  over 
thirty  millions  of  people.  I  blessed  myself,  there- 
fore, for  being  in  this  respect  a  fortunate  creature 
of  circumstance. 


WITH    A    KING  45 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Shrines  of  Shiba  —  Curious  Worship  —  The  King's 
Aphorism  —  The  Japanese  Press  Discusses  the  King  — 
Curiosity  about  His  White  Attendants  —  Count  Inouye, 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  —  Invitation  to  Prolong  the 
Royal  Visit  —  An  Important  Diplomatic  Event  —  Proposed 
Abrogation  of  an  Unjust  Treaty  between  Japan  and  Hawaii 
—  Delight  of  the  Emperor  and  His  Government  —  Drafting 
a  New  Treaty  —  The  Great  European  Powers  Disturbed 
Thereby. 

EARLY  the  next  morning  three  imperial  car- 
riages took  us  to  one  of  the  Buddhist  temples 
and  the  Shrines  of  Shiba.  One  form  of  worship 
arrested  our  attention.  Around  a  large  image  or  idol 
was  a  wire  screen  with  meshes  an  inch  in  diameter. 
The  worshipper  wrote  his  prayer  on  paper  and  then 
chewed  it  into  a  paste,  which  with  his  fingers  he 
moulded  into  a  wad.  This  he  cast  with  force  at  the 
image,  and  if  it  passed  through  the  meshes  and  stuck 
upon  the  face  or  body  of  the  image  the  prayer  was 
granted.  The  tranquil  idol,  spotted  on  his  forehead, 
cheeks,  breast,  and  arms  with  these  salivary  prayers, 
as  if  he  were  tattooed,  seemed  to  look  through  his 
round,  motionless  eyes  at  his  worshipful  marksmen 
with  some  disgust,  as  if  he  had  received  the  most 
humiliating  assignment,  in  the  distribution  of  duties, 
by  the  divine  conference  of  gods.  Even  this  gro- 
tesque worship  was  no  more  absurd  than  some  of  the 
forms  of  worship  common  in  Christendom. 


46       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Before  another  image  was  a  large  monkey,  which, 
when  he  picked  up  the  coin  we  threw  down,  bowed 
and  touched  the  ground  reverently  with  his  fore- 
head, and  then  passed  it  to  his  master,  who  cast  it 
into  the  offertory  box  before  the  image.  We  stood 
near  an  image  with  a  weary  expression.  He  was 
gradually  being  rubbed  down  to  nothing;  for  his 
worshippers,  passing  him  in  line,  vigorously  rubbed 
their  hands  on  his  defenceless  head,  in  the  belief  that 
this  act  relieved  some  kinds  of  disease.  These  inces- 
sant rubbings  had  worn  away  a  part  of  his  forehead 
and  greatly  impaired  his  sightliness  if  not  his  useful- 
ness; nor  did  there  appear  to  be  any  shops  where 
worn-out  deities  could  be  restored.  No  doubt  his 
cures  for  disease  were  as  valuable  as  the  ''  patent 
medicines  "  of  Europe  and  America. 

The  Japanese  appear  to  excel  all  people  in  the 
preparation  of  suitable  and  imposing  places  for 
the  repose  of  their  dead  monarchs,  as  in  the  Shrines 
of  Shiba,  where  the  groves  of  lofty  and  solemn 
cryptomerias,  gigantic  and  dark-plumed  sentinels, 
stand  with  immutable  dignity  over  the  royal 
tombs. 

As  the  imperial  carriage  in  which  we  rode  passed 
under  the  branches  of  these  watchmen  of  the  dead, 
a  flock  of  crows  flew  up,  and  with  much  cawing 
settled  in  their  branches.  The  King,  who  was  half- 
asleep  from  the  reaction  and  strain  of  the  previous 
day's  extraordinary  excitement,  listened,  and  then 
uttered  to  the  Imperial  Prince  by  his  side  this 
aphorism :  "  The  noblest  aspiration  of  man  is  to 
hear  birds  sing."  The  Prince  was  no  doubt  sur- 
prised at  this  crisp  summary  of  man's  nature  and 
aspirations,  but,  like  a  true  courtier,  he  bowed  and 


WITH    A    KING  47 

replied:  "Your  Majesty,  it  is  true."  The  King's 
head  began  to  nod  again  in  peaceful  nap,  and  the 
crows  gave  him  a  screeching  encore. 

The  daily  papers  of  Tokio  published  translations 
of  articles  in  the  foreign  encyclopaedias  and  geog- 
raphies on  the  Hawaiian  group  of  islands,  and  trans- 
lations from  the  press  were  daily  presented  to  us  by 
one  of  the  officers  who  attended  the  King.  His 
bearing  and  appearance  were  commended,  but  the 
skin  colouring  of  the  party  puzzled  the  Japanese 
writers.  It  was  said  that  we  were  Hawaiians,  which 
was  of  course  true  so  far  as  place  of  birth  went; 
but  here,  the  press  said,  was  a  dark,  almost  black, 
King;  a  Minister  of  State  who  was  of  the  light 
Anglo-Saxon  type;  and  a  swarthy  Chamberlain. 
"  It  must  be,"  wrote  one  editor,  "  a  curious  race 
which  produces  such  different  types  of  colour." 
When  the  members  of  the  Japanese  court  learned 
that  the  suite  were  men  of  American  descent,  though 
born  in  Hawaii,  they  looked  upon  it  as  singular  that 
the  King  should  travel  without  any  native  member 
of  his  court.  They  suspected  that  the  white  men 
had  already  become  dominant  in  his  kingdom,  and 
that  he  was  only  a  figure-head.  It  typified  to  them 
the  coming  supremacy  of  Anglo-Saxons  in  the  Pacific 
regions. 

Count  Inouye  called  with  a  message  from  the 
Emperor,  requesting  the  King  to  change  his  purpose 
of  leaving  the  Empire  within  three  days,  as  he  had 
informed  the  Emperor  he  intended  to  do;  the  Em- 
peror wished  to  give  him  a  banquet,  and,  as  he  was 
the  first  King  of  Christendom  who  had  entered  the 
Empire,  he  desired  to  mark  his  visit  with  a  grand  ball 
in  the  palace,  which  would,  it  was  intimated,  be  the 


48        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

most  notable  given  since  the  new  order  of  things  was 
established;  there  would  also  be  a  grand  review  of 
the  imperial  troops,  special  theatrical  exhibitions,  and 
other  entertainments.  The  King  assented  to  his 
request,  for  he  was  gaining  much  knowledge,  but 
unfortunately  it  was  through  the  distorting  medium 
of  Polynesian  ideas  and  vagaries. 

In  this  interview  there  took  place  the  one  serious 
diplomatic  event  of  our  tour,  —  one  which  was  most 
creditable  to  the  King  and  worthy  of  an  humble 
place  in  history. 

The  humiliating  position  of  the  Japanese  under 
their  existing  treaties  with  foreign  nations  was  men- 
tioned during  this  interview.  These  treaties  largely 
excluded  Japanese  sovereignty  from  a  number  of  its 
own  seaports,  known  as  the  "treaty  ports;"  they  per- 
mitted foreign  consuls,  some  of  them  being  incom- 
petent and  ignorant,  to  be  the  supreme  judges  of 
matters  involving  the  rights  of  the  Japanese.  It  was 
admitted  by  all  that  these  treaties  were  in  violation 
of  international  law ;  but  as  they  had  been  executed 
by  the  Japanese  government  when  it  was  powerless, 
and  under  what  Secretary  Seward  called  "  gentle 
pressure,"  the  nations  now  refused  to  modify  or 
abrogate  them,  in  spite  of  the  earnest  requests  of 
the  Japanese  government  and  the  demands  of  the 
people.  The  case  was  illustrative  of  the  use  of  brute 
force  by  the  powers  of  Christendom,  The  treaty 
between  Japan  and  the  Hawaiian  Islands  was  similar 
to  other  treaties,  but  it  was  of  no  practical  value, 
because  there  was  little  commerce  between  the  two 
countries.  The  King's  government  had  been  re- 
quested, as  other  governments  had  been,  to  abro- 
gate  these   objectionable   treaties;    but   the  request 


WITH    A    KING  49 

had  not  been  granted.  I  had  been  asked  by  my 
colleagues  to  discuss  the  subject  with  the  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs  of  Japan,  if  we  should  visit  the 
Empire. 

I  now  asked  Count  Inouye  to  remain  while  the 
King,  and  I,  as  Royal  Commissioner,  could  briefly 
consult  in  private.  We  soon  returned,  and  I,  speak- 
ing for  the  King's  Cabinet,  said  to  the  Minister  that 
the  King  would  at  once  consent  to  the  abrogation 
of  the  harsh  and  unjust  clause  of  our  treaty  with 
Japan,  subject  to  the  approval  of  his  entire  Cabinet, 
though  we  were  satisfied  that  it  would  abide  by  our 
act.  Speaking  for  the  King,  I  said  that  he  hastened 
to  do  a  just  and  friendly  act,  since  he  had  been  so 
cordially  received  by  the  Emperor.  The  Minister 
was  deligthed.  He  declared  that  the  day  on  which 
our  treaty  was  modified  would  be  a  red-letter  day 
in  Japanese  history,  and  this  prompt  consent  to  abro- 
gation would  give  the  Emperor  and  the  people  of 
Japan  unbounded  pleasure.  It  was  then  agreed  be- 
tween ourselves  that  this  act  should  remain  an  open 
State  secret  until  the  Hawaiian  Cabinet  had  approved 
of  it ;  for  the  publication  of  it  officially  would  greatly 
disturb  the  ambassadors  and  ministers  of  the  Euro- 
pean Powers,  who  would  see  in  it  an  entering  wedge 
which  would,  by  example,  force  open  the  humiliating 
clamp  of  iron  wherein  the  Powers  had  held  the  Empire 
for  twenty  years.  As  soon  as  the  Japanese  Minister 
left,  I  sought  the  American  Minister,  Mr.  Bingham, 
and  related  the  results  of  this  interview.  He  ap- 
proved of  what  we  had  done  and  smiled  at  its 
audacity.  An  instrument  abrogating  the  unjust 
clause  in  the  treaty  was  immediately  drawn  up.  I 
addressed  a  letter,  with  the  King's  cordial  consent 

4 


50        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

and  the  approval  of  the  Chamberlain,  who  was  an 
excellent  adviser,  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
in  which  was  written: 

"  The  Hawaiian  government  is  willing  to  incorporate 
in  a  treaty  a  full  and  complete  recognition  of  the  integ- 
rity of  the  Japanese  Empire,  and  it  will  relinquish  all 
claims  of  whatsoever  nature  which  may  arise  out  of 
what  is  known  as  the  extra-territorial  rights  in  the 
existing  treaty." 

This  was  the  first  diplomatic  business  in  which 
I  had  been  engaged,  and  I  looked  at  it  as  a  boy  looks 
at  his  first  successful  composition.  The  use  of  such 
condescending  language  to  a  nation  which  could  flip 
the  Hawaiian  people  into  the  sea  by  a  turn  of  its 
hand  seemed  to  be  absurd,  but  our  little  kingdom, 
so  far  as  maintaining  this  obnoxious  treaty  was  con- 
cerned, had  behind  it  the  power  of  Europe.  Aside 
from  being  a  party  to  an  act  of  justice,  I  rather 
enjoyed  the  fun  of  throwing  fire  into  the  dried  grass 
of  the  international  prairie,  —  a  fire  which  would 
soon  force  the  uneasy  diplomats  who  represented  the 
Great  Powers  to  scurry  about  to  extinguish  it.  This 
tour  was  therefore  not  without  its  uses.  I  have  no 
doubt,  when  the  diplomats  discovered  this  deed  after 
we  left,  they  exclaimed  in  private,  "  Oh,  bother  the 
little  Hawaiian  beggar  for  getting  between  our 
legs!"i 

1  The  instrument  abrogating  this  treaty  was  not  executed,  owing  to 
the  strenuous  remonstrances  of  the  European  governments.  Seventeen 
years  after  this  negotiation  the  humiliating  clause  was  removed  from 
all  the  treaties,  and  the  complete  integrity  of  the  Japanese  Empire  was 
recognised  by  all  nations. 


WITH    A    KING  51 

When  the  Emperor  and  the  men  of  the  Empire 
were  confidentially  told  of  this  transaction,  they  were 
greatly  pleased,  and  resolved  to  make  the  King's 
visit  most  memorable  if  lavish  hospitality  could 
do  it. 


52       AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER   VII 

Entertainments  in  Our  Palace  —  The  King  Receives  the 
Representatives  of  Foreign  Nations  —  Dr.  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin's Japanese  Descendants  —  The  King  Carefully  Guarded 

—  The  Position  of  the  Hawaiian  Kingdom  in  the  Pacific  — 
Its  Growth  —  The  Japanese  Character  —  The  Sudden  Rise 
of  the  People  and  Their  Reformations —  Review  of  Japanese 
Troops  —  An  Earthquake  —  The  Skeleton  in  Our  Military 
Closet  —  The  Hawaiian  Army  and  Navy  —  A  Japanese 
Drama  —  The  King  Presents  a  Drop-Curtain  to  the 
Theatre  —  The    Hawaiian    Minister   Visits     Count    Inouye 

—  His  Residence  —  Strange  Adventures  of  Two  Japanese 
Statesmen. 

ON  the  day  following  this  transaction  our  even- 
ing banquet  was  unusually  fine.  At  its  close 
twenty  noted  singers  and  dancers  entertained  us  in 
one  of  the  drawing-rooms.  Following  them  was 
a  seemingly  grotesque  dance,  in  the  costumes  in 
fashion  two  centuries  before  this  time.  The  per- 
formers at  certain  intervals  turned  somersaults, 
producing  effects  which  were  undeniably  amusing 
and  picturesque. 

The  next  day  the  King  received  the  ambassadors 
and  ministers  of  foreign  nations  at  the  Japanese 
court.  These,  the  British,  French,  German,  Austrian, 
Russian,  Chinese,  with  their  attaches,  made  a  brilliant 
company,  as  they  appeared  in  court  attire.  The  King 
announced  that  he  should  appoint  Mr.  R.  W.  Irwin, 
the  Hawaiian  Consul,  and  the  clever  great-grandson 
of  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  to  be  the  Hawaiian  Min- 
ister at  the  Japanese  court.     Mr.  Irwin  had  married 


» 


WITH    A    KING  53 

a  Japanese  lady,  by  whom  he  had  a  number  of  chil- 
dren. The  old  Doctor  never  dreamed  of  his  descend- 
ant in  the  third  generation  living  in  an  Oriental 
empire  of  which  he  had  not  heard,  and  of  his  own 
blood  mingling  with  a  curious  and  strange  race  which 
had  leaped  in  a  moment  from  paganism  into  Euro- 
pean "  civilisation."  The  predictions  of  "  Poor 
Richard,"  in  his  "  Almanack,"  never  included  such 
an  extravagant  horoscope  as  this. 

Whenever  we  drove  in  the  imperial  carriage  to  the 
public  parks,  temples,  and  gardens,  extraordinary 
care  was  taken  of  the  Emperor's  guest.  By  adroit 
management  he  was  not  allowed  to  appear  as  a 
common  person ;  he  did  not  enter  any  of  the  shops 
or  inns;  and  whenever  the  carriage  stopped,  a  body 
of  police  surrounded  it  at  once,  so  as  to  prevent  any 
assault  by  a  Japanese  crank. 

Many  of  the  prominent  men,  the  leaders  in  political 
affairs,  did  not  understand  why  the  kingdom  of 
Hawaii  had  been  promptly  admitted  as  an  independ- 
ent sovereignty  into  the  family  of  nations,  almost 
at  the  moment  its  people  came  out  of  barbarism, 
while  Japan,  with  its  high  civilisation,  had  been 
excluded. 

Speaking  for  the  King,  I  said  to  them  that  the 
prominent  geographical  position  of  our  islands,  lying 
at  what  would  in  time  be  the  cross-ways  of  commerce 
in  the  Pacific,  attracted  the  attention  of  traders,  and 
especially  American  whalemen,  early  in  the  century; 
their  relative  propinquity  to  the  United  States 
brought  them  within  the  indefinite  sphere  of  Ameri- 
can influence ;  the  British  had  once  captured  but  had 
quickly  restored  the  Islands;  and  that  the  commer- 
cial nations,  jealous  of  one  another's  acquisitions  in 


54        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  Pacific,  had  been  a  practical  guaranty  of  their 
independence.  But  the  humihating  and  conflicting 
device  of  "  consular  jurisdiction  "  in  defiance  of  inter- 
national right,  as  it  then  existed  in  Japan,  would  have 
been  quickly  introduced  if  there  had  not  been  estab- 
lished, at  an  early  day,  a  remarkable  and  effective 
administration  of  justice,  through  Anglo-Saxon  laws, 
by  native  rulers  who  were  mainly  ignorant  of  the 
nature  of  the  laws  which  they  adopted  and  enforced. 
This  was  the  direct  work  of  the  American  mission- 
aries, who  had  received  permission  to  remain  in  the 
country  and  instruct  the  people,  and  in  whose  intelli- 
gence and  honesty  the  kings,  chiefs,  and  people 
acquired  such  confidence  that  the  administration  of 
the  laws,  which  were  essentially  Anglo-Saxon  in 
spirit  and  letter,  was  voluntarily  placed  in  their  hands. 
This  was  so  satisfactory  that  the  subjects  of  the 
great  commercial  nations  who  resided  in  the  little 
kingdom  rarely  disapproved  the  Hawaiian  admin- 
istration of  law,  and  there  was  therefore  no  reason 
for  introducing  the  offensive  extra-territorial  power 
of  consuls  and  diplomats. 

I  did  not  say  —  for  it  would  have  displeased  my 
royal  master  to  say  it  —  that  the  natives  of  Hawaii 
were,  until  recently,  without  a  written  language, 
without  the  arts,  and  hardly  above  the  state  of  sav- 
ages, but  were  a  singularly  docile  people,  readily 
yielding  to  the  influence  of  honest  and  intelligent 
men.  They  could  not  be  compared  to  the  Japanese, 
who  had  an  ancient  and  in  many  ways  a  remarkably 
high  civilisation,  and  who  would  not  quickly  abandon 
their  own  political  system  and  inherited  ideas  on  the 
advice  of  foreigners. 

A  noted  Japanese  statesman  said  to  me  privately, 


WITH    A    KING  55 

in  reply  to  my  explanation,  "  Then  the  natives  of  your 
kingdom  are  under  foreign  rule."  I  replied,  "  Sub- 
stantially they  are,  but  the  Polynesian  monarchy  will 
be  preserved  by  the  Anglo-Saxons  so  long  as  it  does 
not  violate  their  sentiments  of  justice  and  order.  We 
who  are  born  in  the  kingdom  are  loyal  to  the  throne." 

Among  the  foreign  residents  of  Japan  we  found 
that  the  majority  of  them,  who  are  merchants  and 
traders,  declared  that  the  Japanese  are  unstable,  not 
truthful,  mere  imitators,  and  incapable  of  maintain- 
ing what  is  called  a  "  civilised  form  of  government." 

There  are  defects  in  the  Japanese  character  which 
the  thoughtful  Japanese  candidly  admit.  But  they 
declare  that  if  the  history  of  their  own  nation  be 
justly  compared  with  that  of  other  nations,  aside 
from  mere  material  progress,  the  standard  of  their 
own  civilisation,  defective  as  it  is,  will  not  greatly 
suffer  in  the  comparison.  It  was  said  not  sixty  years 
ago,  by  that  wise  Englishman,  Sir  Samuel  Romilly, 
that  "  the  code  of  the  English  was  the  worst  code 
of  all  nations,  and  worthy  of  cannibals ;  "  and  Mc- 
Carthy writes,  in  the  "  History  of  Our  Own  Times," 
that  "  not  until  Victoria's  reign  was  there  a  legis- 
lative enactment  which  fairly  acknowledged  the  dif- 
ference between  an  English  wife  and  a  purchased 
slave."  If  this  be  true  of  English  civilisation,  which 
has  developed  for  a  thousand  years  under  the  burning 
light  of  the  Holy  Cross,  what  comment  can  the 
Anglo-Saxon  make  upon  the  civilisation  of  a  nation 
upon  which  the  light  of  the  Cross  has  never  shone, 
■ —  a  civilisation  which  advanced  only  under  the 
dim  moral  lights  of  Buddhism,  Confucianism,  and 
Shintoism. 

Whatever  the  virtues  or  vices  of  the  Japanese  are, 


56       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

it  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  history  that  this  people, 
numbering  over  thirty  millions,  has,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  measuring  time  by  slow  historical  growth, 
shaken  off  an  ancient  feudal  system,  destroyed  the 
autocracy  of  the  powerful  daimyos,  and  reached  the 
open  highway  of  political  regeneration,  with  far  less 
turmoil,  bloodshed,  and  revolution  than  has  marked 
the  progress  of  Occidental  political  institutions. 

In  honour  of  his  royal  guest  the  Emperor  ordered 
a  review  of  the  Japanese  troops,  of  all  kinds,  which 
were  stationed  in  Tokio.  Of  these  about  ten  thousand 
were  in  parade.  The  King  and  suite,  in  an  imperial 
carriage,  arrived  at  the  barracks  and  alighted  before 
the  Emperor's  tent,  which  was  lined  with  silk,  but 
otherwise  was  not  adorned.  The  Emperor,  at  the 
opening  of  his  tent,  received  the  King.  While  the 
monarchs  stood  before  it,  the  entire  Diplomatic  Corps 
in  full  uniforms  were  presented  to  them.  Horses 
with  rich  trappings  of  gold  cloth  were  now  brought 
forward,  and  the  monarchs  mounted.  The  Emperor 
rode  well,  while  bettos,  or  running  attendants,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  animal,  kept  close  to  his  head.  The 
King  was  a  superb  horseman,  for  he  was  trained  in 
his  early  days  to  the  use  of  the  lariat  in  the  capture 
of  wild  cattle.  The  cavalry  horses  in  this  part  of  the 
empire  were  stallions;  the  mares  were  kept  in  the 
western  provinces.  The  animals  were  small,  stocky, 
and  active. 

The  Cabinet  Ministers,  the  General  Staff,  the 
King's  suite,  and  the  Diplomatic  Corps  made  a  con- 
siderable cavalcade  behind  the  monarchs.  At  this 
time  foreign  military  men  undervalued  the  power  of 
the  Japanese  for  military  organisation,  though  a  few 
of  them,  who  were  acute  observers,  suspected  that  it 


WITH    A    KING  57 

would  prove  to  be  singularly  strong.  In  our  cavalcade 
were  the  Japanese  officers  who  subsequently  chased 
but  hardly  fought  the  Chinese  in  the  war  of  1894.  At 
the  close  of  the  review  the  monarchs  entered  the  tent 
alone  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  parted. 

At  the  State  luncheon  in  our  palace  the  next  day 
an  earthquake  shook  the  building.  The  table  rocked 
as  if  it  were  tipsy.  Mother  Earth  was  on  a  "  spree," 
reeling  and  shivering  as  if  her  bowels  were  filled 
with  alcohol  instead  of  fire.  She  has  these  unseemly 
bouts  in  this  land  to  the  number  of  five  hundred  a 
year,  and  occasionally  she  gets  upon  a  fearful  "  tear," 
ripping  up  the  fine  clothing  of  forests  and  meadows 
on  her  back,  defiant  of  the  text  that  "  earth  was  made 
for  man."  The  Japanese  guests  showed  no  excite- 
ment; they  laid  down  neither  knife  nor  fork;  not 
one  of  them  looked  around  or  made  comment.  Here 
they  displayed  the  delicate  refinement  of  the  people, 
who  in  social  life  ignore  disagreeable  events,  even  to 
an  extreme.  No  allusion  whatever  was  made  to  this 
seismic  orgy  until  the  King  asked  if  earthquakes  were 
dreaded.  The  venerable  and  noble  Prince  Date  re- 
plied that  though  they  were  common  they  were 
dreaded,  because  at  times  they  were  destructive,  and, 
like  tamed  beasts,  could  not  be  trusted.  A  facetious 
Japanese,  who  had  been  educated  in  England,  re- 
marked, when  I  noticed  the  equanimity  and  silence 
with  which  the  riotous  earthquake  was  received  by 
his  countrymen,  that  it  was  mainly  due  to  the  fact 
that  there  were  no  profane  words  in  their  language ; 
but  whenever  the  people  learned  to  use  the  English 
language  with  freedom  its  superb  equipments  in 
forcible  oaths  would  provoke  them  to  make  suitable 
comments  on  such  an  event. 


58       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

A  small  and  unwelcome  military  skeleton  now 
appeared  in  our  royal  closet  and  began  gently  to 
rattle  at  our  feasts.  The  army  of  Hawaii,  its  size, 
formation,  and  use,  interested  the  Japanese  court. 
The  large  and  commanding  figure  of  the  Chamber- 
lain, with  his  brilliant  Colonel's  uniform,  made  him 
conspicuous,  and  provoked  many  questions  about  the 
army.  Now,  on  a  "  war  footing  "  it  numbered  about 
seventy-five  men,  who  were  merely  volunteers,  and 
were,  it  was  said  by  an  irreverent  white  subject, 
lavishly  fed  on  bananas  in  order  to  stimulate  their 
courage.  Their  duties  were  to  guard  the  Palace, 
parade  on  holidays,  and  "  present  arms  "  to  the  court 
and  distinguished  visitors.  In  the  event  of  trouble 
it  was  generally  believed  that  they  had  no  fervent 
desire  "  to  kiss  the  hot  lips  of  the  enemy's  guns  " 
or  achieve  any  heroic  act  whatsoever.  We  had  hoped 
that  the  subject  of  our  military  establishment  would 
be  ignored  in  our  intercourse  with  foreign  courts, 
for  a  correct  statement  regarding  it  might  abate  the 
King's  dignity. 

At  the  "  squirrel  point "  in  this  banquet,  —  when 
the  guests  began  to  crack  the  nuts,  —  an  inquisitive 
Japanese  statesman  turned  to  the  Chamberlain  and 
inquired,  "Colonel,  how  large  is  your  army?" 
Thereupon  the  little  skeleton  rattled  so  that  we  of 
the  royal  party  distinctly  heard  it,  and  the  Colonel 
hesitated.  His  Majesty  was  silent,  and  I  waited  to 
see  how  the  Colonel  would  escape  a  truthful  reply. 
It  was  customary,  in  the  Hawaiian  celebrations,  for 
the  King's  poet  laureate  to  represent  the  army  as 
larger  than  that  of  Milton's  devils  in  array  to  fight 
the  angels;  an  army  so  large  that  its  rear  lay 
wrapped    in    night   while    breaking   day    roused    its 


WITH    A    KING  59 

broad  front;  but  on  this  foreign  soil  there  were  no 
loyal  and  sympathetic  Hawaiian  subjects  to  applaud 
such  an  estimate. 

The  Chamberlain  took  refuge  in  brevity,  —  "  The 
army  is  not  large;  it  consists  of  volunteers,"  —  and 
became  silent.  The  question  was  not  repeated  at  this 
time,  but  during  the  tour  it  frequently  and  sorely 
confronted  us,  and  as  often  as  it  did  the  little  skele- 
ton grimly  rattled  and  the  King  and  suite  were  de- 
pressed in  spirit. 

The  information  regarding  our  navy  was  proudly 
given.  For  home  use  a  tugboat  with  a  howitzer 
mounted  on  its  bows  was  quite  enough  to  sweep  our 
inland  seas.  As  a  nation,  however,  our  independ- 
ence was  carefully  protected  by  the  jealousy  of  the 
European  and  American  nations,  so  that  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  their  navies  were  our  navy,  especially 
that  of  the  United  States.  Whenever,  therefore,  the 
matter  of  our  navy  was  suggested  at  grand  banquets, 
the  King  usually  designated  me  to  answer,  which  I 
did  by  boldly  stating  that  we  commanded  the  largest 
navy  in  the  world,  following  the  statement  with  ex- 
planations that  justified  it.  We  said  to  the  Japanese, 
"  Your  navy  is  our  navy,  because  you  are  interested 
in  maintaining  our  independence."  At  the  same  time, 
as  an  American,  I  felt  that  the  star  of  American 
empire  was  rapidly  moving  toward  Hawaii,  and  no 
other  nation  was  likely  to  attempt  to  hitch  a  line  to 
it  to  draw  it  away  from  its  course. 

By  command  of  the  Emperor  one  of  the  tragic 
dramas  was  presented  in  the  theatre.  It  depicted 
an  historical  event  which  involved  many  sanguinary 
deeds.  The  actors  declaimed  in  falsetto  voices;  the 
orchestra,  between  the  acts,  uttered  sounds  which 


60        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

to  our  ears  seemed  to  be  the  invariable  and  monoto- 
nous repetition  of  the  vowel  "  uu-uu."  The  audi- 
ence consisted  of  the  higher  class  of  the  people  and 
were  specially  invited.  The  transition  of  fashion  in 
dress  from  the  old  Japanese  to  the  European  forms 
was  apparent.  Ladies  in  kimonos  and  those  in 
Parisian  clothing  were  side  by  side.  Paths  of  boards 
on  a  level  with  the  heads  of  the  audience  were  laid 
from  the  stage  toward  the  doors;  and  the  actors  at 
times  strode  down  these  alleys  declaiming  in  the 
midst  of  their  hearers.  The  streets  adjoining  the 
theatre  were  illuminated  in  honour  of  the  King,  who 
at  the  close  followed  the  example  of  General  Grant 
and  presented  to  the  theatre  a  large  drop-curtain 
covered  with  figures  and  inscriptions  in  memory  of 
the  event. 

The  next  day  I  returned  the  official  call  made  on 
me  by  Count  Inouye,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
On  reaching  the  entrance  to  his  residence  a  servant 
removed  my  shoes  and  led  me  over  a  fine  matting 
to  an  exquisitely  furnished  room.  On  a  lacquer 
table  was  placed  a  hibachi  filled  with  white  sand, 
and  on  this  a  small  charcoal  fire  was  burning,  at 
which  we  warmed  our  fingers.  The  Anglo-Saxon 
warms  his  toes,  but  the  Japanese,  for  some  hygienic 
or  other  reason,  warms  his  body  through  his  fingers. 
Snow  was  gently  falling  at  the  time,  but  the  people, 
like  most  Europeans,  are  accustomed  to  a  low  tem- 
perature which  would  make  Americans  uncomfort- 
able. Since  the  time  of  this  visit  the  Minister  has 
become  justly  distinguished  as  a  far-seeing,  prudent, 
and  wise  statesman.  He  related  to  me  some  of  the 
incidents  of  his  early  life.  He  and  Ito,  now  the 
Marquis,  were  members  of  the  Satsuma  clan,  and 


Ito  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  61 

were  sent  by  their  chief  to  England  in  order  to  as- 
certain the  causes  of  EngHsh  power.  Boarding  an 
English  vessel  at  Shanghai,  and  unable  to  speak  the 
English  language,  they  failed  to  make  the  captain 
understand  that  they  were  passengers,  and  were  at 
once  placed  in  the  forecastle  and  served  during  the 
voyage  as  common  sailors.  On  reaching  London 
they  were  unable  to  communicate  with  their  bankers 
for  several  days  for  lack  of  an  interpreter,  and  there- 
fore begged  their  way  on  the  docks. 

The  Minister  again  told  me  of  the  pleasure  which 
our  willingness  to  abrogate  the  Japanese-Hawaiian 
treaty  had  given  his  government.  As  I  returned  to 
our  palace  of  the  Enriokwan  in  the  imperial  carriage, 
I  chuckled  over  the  fact  that  our  little  insignificant 
kingdom  was  throwing  some  sand  into  the  ponderous 
machinery  of  international  law.  It  was  the  release 
of  a  mouse  in  a  ball-room. 


62       AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  King  Proposes  a  Matrimonial  Alliance  Between  the 
Royal  Families  of  Japan  and  Hawaii  —  The  Plan  Fails  — 
The  King  Visits  the  Christian  Church  in  Yokohama  — 
Japanese  Views  Regarding  Christian  Missions  —  Their 
Political  Danger. 

THERE  now  occurred  an  unexpected  and  roman- 
tic incident  which  gave  the  King's  suite  some 
anxiety  and  annoyance.  The  King,  without  inform- 
ing us  of  his  scheme,  suddenly  and  rather  mysteri- 
ously left  our  palace  in  company  with  the  Emperor's 
Chamberlain.  It  was  a  neglect  of  his  own  suite 
which  was  entirely  contrary  to  etiquette.  Its  secrecy 
puzzled  us,  as  he  usually  placed  the  fullest  confidence 
in  us.  On  his  return  he  did  not  disclose  to  us  that 
he  had  made  a  secret  visit  to  the  Emperor,  and  that 
he  had  asked  that  it  should  be  treated  as  a  confiden- 
tial affair.  The  Emperor,  however,  for  "  reasons  of 
State,"  had  told  his  Foreign  Minister  about  it,  and 
the  Emperor's  Chamberlain,  in  order  that  the  King's 
Cabinet  might  understand  the  affair,  confidentially 
intimated  to  the  suite  the  nature  of  it.  But  it  was 
not  until  we  returned  to  Hawaii  that  the  details  of 
it  were  disclosed. 

In  the  curious  recesses  of  his  Polynesian  brain  the 
King  had  contrived  a  scheme  of  matrimonial  alli- 
ance between  the  thrones  of  Japan  and  Hawaii. 
He  had  a  vague  fear  that  the  United  States  might 
in  the  near  future  absorb  his  kingdom.  He  therefore 
proposed  a  marriage  between  one  of  the  imperial 


WITH    A    KING  63 

princes  of  Japan  and  the  Princess  Kaiulani,  his  niece, 
and  heir  to  the  throne,  which  would  naturally  en- 
list the  Japanese  government  against  any  annexation 
schemes  of  the  United  States.  Knowing  that  his 
suite  would  vigorously  oppose  his  plan  as  utterly 
impracticable,  he  chose  to  take  the  affair  into  his 
own  hands.  The  Emperor  received  his  suggestion 
with  excellent  humour  and  politeness,  but  declared 
that  it  required  much  reflection  and  would  be  a 
startling  departure  from  Japanese  traditions.  Soon 
after  we  reached  home  the  Imperial  Chamberlain  of 
the  Emperor  appeared  in  Hawaii  on  a  secret  mission, 
bearing  a  letter  from  the  Emperor  respectfully  de- 
clining the  proposition  for  a  matrimonial  alliance. 
Aside  from  social  reasons,  the  Emperor,  with  his 
advisers,  would  not  aid  in  any  scheme  which  im- 
paired the  "  sphere  of  American  influence  over 
Hawaii."  This  incident  did  not  in  the  least  disturb 
our  pleasant  relations  with  the  Japanese  court,  but 
it  made  the  suite  more  watchful  against  escapades 
of  the  Crowned  Head  it  was  steering  around  the 
world.  Had  the  scheme  been  accepted  by  the  Em- 
peror, it  would  have  tended  to  make  Hawaii  a 
Japanese  colony;  a  movement  distasteful  to  all  of 
the  Great  Powers. 

The  Japanese  Christians  of  Yokohama  earnestly 
petitioned  the  King  to  receive  from  them  a  copy  of 
the  New  Testament  in  the  Japanese  language.  We 
received  an  intimation  that  the  Japanese  government 
would  not  be  offended  in  the  least  by  a  public  recep- 
tion of  this  gift  by  the  Emperor's  guest.  The  King, 
with  his  suite,  accordingly  went  privately  to  Yoko- 
hama, and  in  the  Protestant  church,  partially  built 
with  aid  from  Hawaiian  Christians,  received  it,  and, 


64        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

standing  in  the  pulpit,  declared  that  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries had  rendered  most  valuable  services  in  his 
kingdom.  This  public  testimony  to  the  value  of 
Christianity  made  by  a  monarch,  the  guest  of  a 
nation  which  coldly  tolerated  it,  was  not  without 
advantage  to  the  promotion  of  evangelical  missions 
in  the  Empire. 

The  establishment  of  Christian  missions  in  Japan 
was  often  discussed  in  our  interviews  with  Japanese 
statesmen.  The  missionaries  were  not  students  of 
political  science,  and  they  failed  to  see  the  insepa- 
rable union,  in  all  nations,  of  political  and  religious 
habits  and  ideas.  In  the  present  state  of  human 
society,  governments,  which  essentially  represent  the 
people's  habits,  traditions,  and  beliefs,  and  do  not 
create  them,  must  rule  through  those  settled  beliefs 
and  usages.  A  disturbance,  therefore,  of  religious 
beliefs  invariably  disturbs  the  political  situation. 
Any  religious  doctrine  which  impairs  the  prevailing 
creed  of  a  nation  impairs  the  political  power  of  the 
nation's  rulers  and  tends  inevitably  toward  peaceful 
or  forcible  revolution.  The  missionary  is  therefore 
an  unconscious  political  revolutionist,  however  vigor- 
ously he  may  deny  it.  The  stability  of  the  Emperor's 
throne  in  Japan,  in  the  opinion  of  its  statesmen, 
largely  depended  upon  the  abiding  faith  in  the  Em- 
peror's divine  origin  and  infallibility.  The  teaching 
of  the  doctrine  by  the  missionaries  that  no  human 
being  or  sovereign  had  a  divine  origin,  though  not 
intended  for  any  political,  but  purely  for  a  religious 
purpose,  tended  to  impair  the  political  power  of  the 
Emperor  and  made  the  missionary  a  dangerous  per- 
son in  the  community.  The  Japanese  leaders  well 
knew   the   power  of   Christianity   for   good   in   the 


WITH    A    KING  65 

Western  civilisation,  but  they  feared  that  in  the 
transition  state  of  Japan  its  general  prevalence  might 
unsettle  the  political  condition  and  retard  the  recon- 
struction of  the  Empire.  They  believed  in  the  tol- 
eration of  all  religions,  because  the  great  nations 
tolerated  them;  but  they  feared  the  political  dis- 
turbance which  might  follow  toleration.  They  de- 
sired, during  the  transition  period  of  Japanese 
civilisation,  to  use  the  popular  belief  in  the  Em- 
peror's infallibility  as  a  means  of  preserving  order; 
as  a  scaffolding  for  holding  the  people  together  until 
the  new  order  of  things  had  hardened.  The  bitter 
and  absurd  conflicts  of  the  creeds  of  Christendom, 
represented  by  the  many  denominations  in  the  Empire, 
astounded  the  thinking  Japanese.  "  Unless,"  said 
one  of  their  noted  men  to  us,  "  Christianity  can  be 
brought  to  us  with  a  common  creed,  converts  from 
the  lower  classes  may  be  secured;  the  thinking  men 
will  stand  aloof." 

I  deemed  myself  thrice  fortunate  that  I,  a  common 
citizen  of  America  and  Hawaii,  had  been,  by  some 
curious  circumstances,  suddenly  cast  upon  the  plane 
of  high  political  office,  and  that  the  rank  which  I 
now  held  enabled  me  to  have  intercourse  upon  a 
common  footing  with  the  men  who  were  the  recon- 
structors  of  this  Oriental  empire.  They  revealed 
to  me  no  "  State  secrets,"  but  from  time  to  time 
frankly  related  some  of  the  strange  and  marvellous 
incidents  of  the  political  evolution  in  which  they  were 
involved.  The  singular  and,  to  a  student  of  political 
science,  the  fascinating  feature  of  their  constructive 
work,  of  taking  over  thirty  millions  of  people  to  a 
novel  system  of  government,  was  their  unprece- 
dented desire  to  utilise  the  wisdom  and  experience 

5 


66        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  foreign  States.  This  was  a  dangerous  experiment, 
—  one  which  the  statesmen  of  Europe  and  America 
have  invariably  refused  to  make.  The  Japanese 
leaders  were  now  in  the  days  of  the  "  O  Jishiu,"  — 
a  great  political  earthquake  generated  by  events  be- 
yond their  control,  and  even  as  we  sat  and  conversed 
with  them  we  felt  its  rocking. 


WITH    A    KING  67 


CHAPTER   IX 

Lunch  with  the  Imperial  Princes  —  Japanese  Women  — 
Hawaiian  Use  of  English  —  Dinner  in  Japanese  Style  at 
the  Noblemen's  Club  —  Japanese  Costumes  —  The  Geisha 
Girls  and  the  Musicians  —  Visits  to  the  Naval  Academy, 
the  Military  Barracks,  Museums,  and  Factories  —  Dinner 
with  the  Emperor  —  Decoration  of  the  King  and  His  Suite 

—  A  Like  Compliment  Paid  to  the  Emperor  —  Telegram 
Announcing  Assassination  of  the  Tsar  of  Russia  Sup- 
pressed —  The  Grand  Banquet  —  Reception  by  the  Empress 

—  The  Assassination  of  the  Tsar  Announced,  and  the 
King  Leaves  —  A  Great  Ball  Postponed  —  The  Court  in 
Mourning  —  The  Emperor  Dines  with  the  King  in  the 
Enriokwan,  and  Takes  Leave  of  Him  —  Presents  from  the 
Emperor. 

WE  lunched  at  noon  —  and  it  was  an  elaborate 
banquet  —  in  the  palace  of  the  Imperial 
Prince  Arisugawa-no-Miya.  Among  his  guests  were 
the  Imperial  Princes  Higashi  Fushima,  Fushima-no- 
Miya,  and  Kila-Sturakawa-no-Miya.  Four  of  the 
Imperial  Princesses  were  present,  in  rich  native  cos- 
tumes. Their  presence  was  quite  contrary  to  the 
customs,  which  forbid  the  presence  of  women  at  ban- 
quets. But  fashions  were  now  in  the  transition 
period,  and  these  Princesses  wished  to  see  a  foreign 
king.  The  luncheon  was  served  in  the  European 
style.  Prince  Arisugawa  was  educated  in  one  of 
the  English  military  schools,  and  translated  our 
conversations. 

In  the  slight  delicate  movements  of  these  ladies 
one  found  a  suggestion  of  the  rare  grace  of  the 
Japanese  women.     Their   faces  were  enamelled   or 


68         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

painted,  and  the  whole  effect  was  that  of  a  banquet 
of  wax  figures,  but  at  least  graceful  and  exquisitely 
dressed,  with  charming  manners.  The  "  flashes  of 
silence "  were  necessarily  constant,  in  the  absence 
of  a  common  language.  There  was  the  sweetest 
dignity  in  their  silence;  an  absence  of  the  high- 
strung  nerves  which  would  have  embarrassed  a 
European  lady.  They  were  self-possessed,  for  they 
were  Princesses;  but  even  self-possession  is  usually 
disturbed  during  protracted  silence,  unless  it  be  that 
of  a  beast  or  a  god. 

When  we  entered  the  drawing-room  we  discovered 
a  large  mass  of  flowers  on  a  tray  placed  on  a  lacquer 
table  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  Across  the  surface 
of  the  flowers  was  prettily  interwoven  the  Hawaiian 
word  "  Aloha,"  which  signifies  "  Welcome."  When 
we  returned  to  our  palace  this  tray,  with  its  mass  of 
flowers,  stood  in  the  centre  of  our  drawing-room. 
The  palace  of  this  Imperial  Prince  was  on  high 
ground  overlooking  the  city;  one  of  the  ancient 
castles,  surrounded  with  a  moat;  the  garden  was  a 
specimen  of  the  finest  Japanese  horticultural  art. 

My  royal  master  had  discovered  by  this  time  that 
the  Japanese  admired  his  command  of  the  English 
language,  and  he  also  found  that  the  use  of  big 
words  rather  increased  their  admiration ;  even  those 
who  were  familiar  with  English  speech  could  not 
always  understand  him  when  he  resorted  to  large 
and  uncommon  words.  It  is  a  singular  trait  of  the 
Hawaiians  to  avoid  the  use  of  English  when  sober, 
but  when  drunk  to  use  it  with  much  volubility. 
The  King's  immediate  predecessor  on  the  throne, 
Lunalilo,  when  in  liquor,  would  often  refuse  to  con- 
verse with  his  native  relatives  in  the  native  language, 


WITH    A    KING  69 

but  addressed  them  in  English,  and  directed  an  in- 
terpreter to  translate  his  speech;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  required  a  translation  into  English  of  their 
conversation  in  Hawaiian.  The  King's  remarkable 
memory  furnished  him  with  a  considerable  vocabu- 
lary of  uncommon  words;  alcohol  seemed  to  open 
that  part  of  his  brain  where  they  were  stored,  espe- 
cially when,  like  the  moon,  he  was  at  the  third 
quarter  and  coming  to  the  "  full."  On  one  occasion 
the  use  of  the  words  "  hippodramatic  performance  " 
secured  to  him  the  prestige  of  a  learned  man.  In 
order  to  celebrate  himself  and  the  antiquity  of  his 
race,  he  declared  at  a  banquet  that  his  people  had 
occupied  his  country  for  over  two  thousand  years; 
but  when  asked  by  a  guest  regarding  the  antiquity 
of  their  literature  he  peremptorily  abandoned  the 
subject,  as  it  was  a  humiliating  fact  that  within 
sixty  years  his  people  could  neither  read  nor  write, 
and  they  were  indebted  to  the  missionaries  for  an 
alphabet.  As  a  rule,  however,  his  conduct  and  con- 
versation displayed  modesty  and  kingly  dignity. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  in  Tokio  he  said  he 
would  like  to  attend  a  dinner  at  which  only  Japanese 
dishes  were  served.  Later  in  the  day,  therefore,  we 
were  taken,  after  the  luncheon  with  the  Imperial 
Princes,  to  the  Noblemen's  Club,  where  we  were 
told  that  a  banquet  would  be  served  which,  in  the 
variety  of  its  dishes  and  the  entertainments  during 
its  service,  would  exceed  in  cost  any  banquet  given 
since  the  Mikado  became  Emperor.  On  reaching 
the  door  our  shoes  were  removed  by  servants,  and 
we  were  led  over  the  finest  matting  to  side  rooms. 
In  these  our  clothing  was  removed,  and  the  attend- 
ants clad  us  in  Japanese  costume.     The  King's  was 


70       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  a  quality  such  as  would  be  worn  by  the  Emperor; 
its  cost  was  some  hundreds  of  dollars.  The  Chamber- 
lain and  I  were  also  arrayed  in  costly  silk  kimonos. 

Before  entering  the  banquet-chamber  tea  was 
served  in  a  large  room  richly  furnished.  A  female 
servant  —  noted,  it  was  said,  for  her  skill  —  rinsed 
a  delicate  porcelain  teacup  in  hot  water  and  wiped 
it  dry.  She  then,  with  a  small  ladle,  dipped  a 
thimbleful  of  pulverised  tea  from  a  lacquer  bowl 
into  the  cup.  Over  this,  with  another  ladle,  she 
poured  hot  water,  and  with  a  small  instrument  re- 
sembling a  camel's-hair  brush,  removed  the  grounds 
with  a  quick  and  dexterous  movement.  The  cup 
was  then  handed  to  a  guest. 

In  the  large  banqueting-room  the  arrangements 
resembled  those  of  the  Grecians  and  Romans  around 
the  triclinium.  The  guests  were  seated  cross-legged 
on  the  floor,  around  three  sides  of  the  room,  in  the 
order  of  their  respective  ranks.  One  of  the  Imperial 
Princes  presided. 

Forks  were  placed  by  the  side  of  the  chopsticks  of 
the  King  and  suite,  for  in  Asiatic  lands  meats  are 
well  cut  up  before  serving,  and  knives  are  unneces- 
sary. On  the  open  or  fourth  side  of  the  room  there 
was  a  slightly  raised  platform  for  the  use  of  singers 
and  dancers.  Geisha  girls,  noted  for  their  skill  in 
dancing  as  well  as  for  their  beauty,  entered  the  room 
with  dishes,  and  each  of  them,  after  placing  the  dish 
before  some  guest,  knelt  and  touched  the  floor  with 
her  forehead.  The  dishes  were  not  removed,  but 
accumulated  as  the  banquet  continued.  Saki,  the 
light  liquor  distilled  from  rice,  was  served  hot  in 
small  glasses. 

The  platform  was  occupied  by  the  dancers,  singers, 


WITH    A    KING  71 

and  actors,  the  "  stars "  of  the  Empire,  many  of 
whom  had  risen  above  the  practice  of  their  art  and 
were  noted  instructors.  The  singers  are  usually 
blind  men,  whose  loss  of  sight,  it  is  believed,  aids 
them  in  the  concentration  of  their  musical  faculties. 
We  did  not  appreciate  the  music  of  the  samisan, 
with  its  meagre  effects  and  monotonous  airs.  But 
our  hosts  did,  and  the  pretty  geisha  girls,  noted  as 
they  were  for  skill  in  dancing,  listened  in  raptures. 
It  was  said  that  to  hear  the  four  most  celebrated 
blind  singers  of  the  Empire  in  combination  was  an 
event  in  their  lives. 

The  dancing  we  appreciated,  for  it  resembled  that 
of  the  Hawaiians,  but  was  more  graceful.  It  was  in 
a  sense  allegorical.  It  was  all  in  changing  lines, 
sober,  and  never  extravagant,  rhythmical  movements 
which  delicately  present  succeeding  pictures  of  ideas ; 
softly  fluttering  garments,  gracefully  gliding  feet; 
while  those  who  represented  flowers  in  the  dance 
seemed  to  wave  like  slender  plants  moved  by  the 
breeze.  A  gentleman  seated  next  to  me  interpreted 
the  dancers  as  if  he  were  reading  a  libretto.  Without 
his  explanation  I  should  have  entirely  failed  to  see 
its  marvellous  beauty  and  dramatic  sense. 

When  one's  limbs  are  not  flexible,  the  cross- 
legged  position  at  a  three-hours  banquet  is  a  tor- 
ture. Cushions  are  placed  behind  the  guests  upon 
which  they  may  recline,  and  change  their  position 
slightly,  but  to  me  it  was  a  pillory.  As  the  same 
custom  prevails  in  Hawaii,  the  King  and  the  Cham- 
berlain fell  to  it  naturally  enough. 

At  a  certain  stage  of  a  banquet  rice  is  served,  and 
no  wine  is  taken  after  it.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
out  of  respect  to  a  king  of  Christendom,  where  a 


72        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

State  banquet  would  be  regarded  with  contempt  un- 
less there  was  an  increasing  amount  of  wine  and 
spirits  offered  to  the  end,  champagne  was  served ;  but 
with  the  exception  of  this  we  were  at  a  banquet  such 
as  would  have  been  served  five  hundred  years  ago. 

The  manners  of  the  guests,  of  the  geisha  girls,  of 
the  singers  and  of  the  dramatists,  seemed  to  pervade 
the  air  of  the  chamber  with  what  some  one  has  called 
"  the  universal  silent  social  compact  of  the  Japanese 
to  make  existence  as  agreeable  as  possible." 

After  a  banquet  the  Japanese  do  not  linger,  stupe- 
fied with  food  and  liquor,  but  promptly  go  home. 

The  grounds  about  the  club-house  were  brilliantly 
illuminated,  and  there  was  an  exhibition  of  rare  fire- 
works. We  removed  our  kimonos,  resumed  our  own 
dress,  at  the  door  received  our  shoes,  and  returned 
to  our  palace,  where  in  our  apartments  we  found 
the  costly  Japanese  dresses  which  we  had  just  put 
aside;  these  we  kept  as  souvenirs  of  this  rare 
entertainment. 

Between  the  official  reception  and  banquets  we 
visited  the  Naval  Academy,  where  the  cadets  gave 
the  King  a  parade  and  drill;  the  military  barracks, 
where,  according  to  the  written  law,  minor  offenders 
are  released  from  imprisonment  on  the  visit  of  a 
royal  chief;  the  beautiful  gardens  attached  to  the 
houses  of  some  of  the  old  nobles;  the  museums; 
the  factories  in  which  is  produced  the  beautiful 
cloisonne  enamel;    and  the  studios  of  the  painters. 

At  one  o'clock  of  the  14th,  the  King  and  suite,  in 
full  uniform,  rode  again  in  the  imperial  carriage, 
surrounded  by  a  troop  of  lancers,  to  the  palace  of 
Akasuka,  to  dine  with  the  Emperor.  The  ceremony 
of  the  reception  was  a  repetition  of  that  of  our  first 


WITH    A    KING  73 

introduction.  After  a  few  moments  of  subdued  con- 
versation the  Emperor  arose  and  took  from  a  lacquer 
box  in  the  hands  of  the  Minister  of  Ceremonies  the 
star  and  broad  scarlet  cordon  of  the  "  Grand  Cross 
of  the  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun."  These  he  placed 
with  his  own  hands  upon  the  King.  He  then  took 
from  the  Minister  another  lacquer  box  holding  the 
star  of  the  "  Grand  Officer  of  the  Order  of  the 
Rising  Sun,"  and  presented  it  to  me,  whispering 
some  words  in  the  vernacular;  and  to  the  Chamber- 
lain he  also  handed  another  box,  containing  the  in- 
signia of  the  same  Order,  but  one  degree  lower.  We 
retired  for  a  moment  to  an  adjoining  room,  and  these 
were  fastened  and  adjusted  to  our  uniforms;  the 
parchments  containing  our  certificates  of  member- 
ship in  the  Order  being  sent  to  our  palace.  The 
King  now  nominally  invested  the  Emperor  with  the 
"  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Kamehameha  "  and 
the  Imperial  Princes  and  the  Ministers  with  the 
Order  in  a  lesser  degree;  these  were  forwarded 
from  Paris,  where  such  insignia  are  usually  made, 
under  careful  regulations.  The  members  of  the 
"  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun  "  are  entitled  to  certain 
special  distinctions  in  the  empire :  the  privileges  of 
an  annual  interview  with  the  Emperor;  to  attend 
receptions  in  his  palace,  and,  at  death,  to  a  military 
funeral. 

Before  moving  from  the  reception-chamber  to  the 
dining-hall,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  informed 
me  privately  that  he  had  just  received  a  telegraphic 
message  which  announced  the  assassination  of  the 
Tsar  of  Russia,  Alexander  II.  If  the  Emperor  and 
King  were  informed  of  this,  etiquette  might  require 
them  to  withdraw  and  postpone  the  dinner.     The 


74        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Minister  and  I  therefore  agreed  that  the  news  should 
be  suppressed  until  the  close  of  the  banquet.  The 
royal  grief  upon  the  sudden  loss  of  a  Crowned 
Brother  was  delayed  two  hours.  We  entered  the 
dining-hall,  and  the  Emperor  took  a  seat  at  the 
middle  of  the  long  table,  with  the  King  on  his  right 
hand.  Directly  opposite  to  them  an  Imperial  Prince 
was  placed,  upon  whose  right  hand  I  sat,  while  the 
Chamberlain  was  placed  on  his  left.  The  guests, 
numbering  fifty,  were  arranged  according  to  their 
rank  toward  the  ends  of  the  table.  The  table  fur- 
niture was  of  heavy  gold  plate,  valued,  it  was  said, 
at  $200,000.  The  royal  dragon  appeared  on  each 
piece.  Fifteen  large  ornamental  pieces,  with  most 
graceful  outlines,  were  placed  along  the  central  axis 
of  the  table.  Great  vases  filled  with  flowers  were 
arranged  around  the  room,  producing  a  most  attrac- 
tive effect. 

The  military  band  stood  on  the  lawn.  As  we  took 
our  seats  it  played  "Hawaii  Poni"  and  the  Japanese 
national  anthem.  A  servant  stood  behind  each  mon- 
arch, and  the  dishes  were  served  by  placing  them  at 
the  same  instant  before  them,  so  that  there  could  be 
no  suggestion  of  preference  in  rank.  The  menu  was 
printed  on  silk  in  both  Japanese  and  English.  There 
was  no  hint  of  Japanese  diet ;  it  was  a  European  din- 
ner in  all  of  its  details.  Nor  were  any  of  the  guests 
dressed  in  their  native  costumes ;  all  were  in  Euro- 
pean military  and  diplomatic  costumes.  Conversa- 
tion was  carried  on  almost  in  whispers,  so  as  not  to 
infringe  the  rule  of  etiquette  which  forbids  loud  talk 
before  royalty.  The  Emperor  was  suffering  from  a 
cold,  and  fifteen  physicians  braced  him  up  for  the 
banquet. 


WITH    A    KING  75 

If  the  dinner  had  not  been  dreary  it  would 
have  lacked  the  marked  distinction  of  royal  dinners 
throughout  the  world.  The  quiet  and  almost  abject 
interpreter  stood  behind  the  monarchs,  and  whenever 
the  royal  minds  moved  toward  each  other,  he  served 
as  a  connecting  link.  The  music  of  the  band,  and 
the  brilliancy  of  the  entertainment,  in  this  court,  as 
in  other  courts,  relieved  the  monotony.  A  poetic 
ethnologist  sitting  in  my  place  might  have  taken 
inspiration  for  verse  in  the  contrasts  between  the 
monarchs  in  their  origin,  in  their  strains  of  blood,  in 
the  mysteries  of  their  inherited  ideas,  in  the  contrasts 
between  the  subjects  of  one  of  them,  —  who  had  a 
high  civilisation  before  Columbus  touched  the  land 
on  the  margin  of  the  Caribbean  Sea;  and  the  sub- 
jects of  the  other,  —  who  only  within  a  hundred  years 
had  permitted  themselves  to  be  discovered  by  Captain 
Cook.  Perhaps  these  monarchs  had  a  common  strain, 
for  it  is  possible  that  from  the  enormous  coast  line 
of  Japan,  in  prehistoric  times,  the  people  of  Japan 
were  carried  by  current  and  tempest  to  the  Ladrone 
and  Caroline  Islands,  thence  to  the  Marshall  Group, 
to  Samoa,  Tonga,  to  New  Zealand,  and  northwardly 
to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  a  grand  sweep  of  ten  thou- 
sand miles  toward  the  American  continent.  The 
meeting  of  these  monarchs  perhaps  signified  the 
union  of  relatives  whose  ancestors  had  separated  five 
thousand  years  before.  It  was  apparent  that  the 
Polynesian  was  physically  much  superior  to  the 
Japanese,  but  the  latter  was  intellectually  incom- 
parably superior  to  the  former.  Once  during  the 
banquet  did  our  irrepressible  little  skeleton  threaten 
to  force  itself  into  notice.  For  the  Emperor  asked  the 
King,  "How  large  is  your  Majesty's  army?"     But 


76         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  King  replied  vaguely,  "  I  do  not  keep  my  army  on 
a  war  footing."  So  we  still  managed  to  conceal  our 
weight  in  the  estimate  of  the  balance  of  power  among 
nations. 

As  the  banquet  closed,  the  national  hymns  were 
again  played  by  the  band ;  the  monarchs  side  by  side, 
followed  by  the  guests,  retired  to  the  reception-room, 
where  the  Empress  sat,  with  the  sweet  little  lady-in- 
waiting  standing  by  her  side.  Coffee  and  cigars  were 
served.  The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  now  ap- 
proached the  monarchs  and  informed  them  of  the 
assassination  of  the  Tsar  of  Russia,  although  during 
the  banquet  the  fact  had  become  an  open  secret  to 
the  guests.  The  King  arose  at  once,  and  with  his 
suite  took  leave  of  the  Empress.  The  Emperor  con- 
ducted the  King  to  the  imperial  carriage,  and, 
guarded  by  a  troop  of  lancers,  we  returned  to  our 
palace. 

The  Japanese  court  went  into  mourning  at  once, 
and  the  Imperial  Chamberlain  announced  that  the 
invitations  to  a  grand  ball  at  the  Emperor's  palace, 
in  honour  of  the  King,  were  recalled.  If  the  Russian 
nihilist  had  considerately  postponed  the  execution  of 
his  act  for  three  days,  we  should  have  attended  a 
brilliant,  unique,  and  notable  event. 

The  King  received  a  letter  from  the  Russian  Min- 
ister announcing  the  death  of  the  Tsar,  and  our 
Chamberlain,  according  to  usage,  called  on  the  Min- 
ister, leaving  his  own  official  card,  as  monarchs  have 
no  cards.  The  King,  as  required  by  etiquette,  went 
into  retirement  and  grief  over  the  loss  of  his  Royal 
Russian  Brother  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  but  as  a 
matter  of  fact  most  of  the  time  was  spent  in  admon- 
ishing Robert,  the  valet,  because,  while  drunk,  he  had 


WITH    A    KING  77 

seated  himself  on  the  royal  silk  hat  and  crushed  it. 
The  King  recalled  our  conversations  on  the  voyage 
across  the  Pacific,  regarding  the  violent  deaths  of 
sovereigns,  upon  which  I  gravely  used  the  phrase  of 
American  frontiersmen,  that  the  Tsar's  misfortune 
was  another  case  of  a  man's  "  dying  with  his  boots 
on,"  To  which  he  replied  naively,  "  Yes,  a  soldier 
should  die  with  his  boots  on." 

He  then  said  that  he  often  became  weary  of  the 
Crown  of  his  own  little  kingdom.  I  suggested  that 
he  should  follow  the  example  of  the  Saxon  king  who 
abdicated  his  throne  and  entered  a  monastery,  where 
he  was  assigned  to  the  labour  of  milking  the  cows. 
If  he  would  follow  this  example,  with  the  same  re- 
sults, he  might,  I  pointed  out  to  him,  become  the 
author  of  a  book  titled  "  From  the  Crown  to  the 
Cow-Yard." 

Although  the  death  of  the  Tsar  ended  all  grand 
entertainments,  the  etiquette  of  the  court  required 
that  the  Emperor  should  dine  with  the  King  in  our 
own  palace.  He  did  so  on  the  next  day,  and  the 
ceremony  of  the  previous  day  was  strictly  observed. 
On  this  occasion  the  monarchs  met  for  the  last  time. 
At  the  close  of  the  banquet  a  few  moments  were 
spent  in  conversation  through  the  interpreter;  ex- 
pressions of  good-will  and  high  consideration  were 
exchanged,  and  they  bade  each  other  good-bye,  cor- 
dially shaking  hands.  The  national  anthems  were 
played,  the  Emperor  entered  his  carriage,  and,  sur- 
rounded by  a  body  of  lancers,  drove  over  the  bridge 
which  spanned  the  moat. 

When  we  retired  to  our  chambers  we  found  there 
a  number  of  rare  and  valuable  presents  from  the 
Emperor.      To    the    King   were   given    magnificent 


78        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

cloisonne  vases,  rich  silks,  exquisite  lacquer  boxes, 
bronzes,  and  embroideries ;  to  each  of  the  suite  were 
given  silks  and  lacquer  boxes.  The  suite  suggested 
that  in  return  the  royal  feather  cloak  should  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Emperor,  but  the  King  refused  to  part 
with  this  ancient  heirloom;  he  secretly  meditated 
its  use  again  when  an  occasion  should  arise.  As  our 
Hawaiian  countrymen  were  hardly  out  of  the  "  Stone 
Age,"  there  was  no  work  of  fine  art  of  their  manu- 
facture which  compared  with  that  of  the  Japanese. 
After  the  King's  subjects  became  "  civilised,"  it  was 
a  common  practice  for  ardent  friends  to  display  their 
esteem  by  exchanging  trousers.  I  suggested  this 
loving  and  simple  practice  to  the  King,  but  he 
scornfully  replied  that  it  was  beneath  the  dignity 
of  monarchs. 


WITH    A    KING  79 


CHAPTER   X 

Departure  for  Yokohama,  Kobe,  and  Nagasaki  —  The  Emperor 
Sends  Imperial  Commissioners  with  His  Guest  —  Japanese 
Evolution  —  Kobe,  and  the  Old  Capital  of  Kioto  —  Mis- 
takes About  the  King's  Identity  —  Visit  to  Osaka  —  At- 
tempt to  Dine  Incognito  at  Japanese  Inn  —  The  Disguise 
Penetrated  —  Visit  to  an  Old  Missionary  in  Kobe  —  The 
Inland  Sea  —  Salutes  —  The  King's  Reflections  —  Favours 
Buddhism  —  At  Nagasaki  —  Japanese  Navigation  —  Pro- 
miscuous Bathing  —  Imperial  Commissioners  Leave  at  the 
Boundary  of  the  Empire  —  Chinese  and  Japanese  Morality 
—  The  Steamer  Coaled  by  Women  and  Children. 

AFTER  a  visit  ^  of  ten  days,  filled  with  splendid 
and  extraordinary  imperial  hospitality,  we  left 
Tokio  with  the  same  grand  ceremony  with  which 
we  entered  it.  On  reaching  Yokohama,  the  Imperial 
Princes  and  many  members  of  the  court  bade  the  King 
good-bye  at  the  gangway  of  the  steamer.  The  war- 
ships dipped  their  flags ;  but  the  yards  of  the  Russian 
ships  were  "  crossed "  in  mourning  for  the  dead 
Tsar;    and  salutes  were  not  fired. 

We  embarked  for  Kobe  and  Nagasaki  in  one  of 
the  steamers  of  the  Mishi-Bishi  Company.  But  the 
hospitality  of  the  Emperor  had  not  yet  ended.  Three 
Imperial  Commissioners  attended  us.  It  was  their 
office  to  remain  with  the  Emperor's  guest  until  he 

*  The  result  of  this  visit  was  an  emigration  of  Japanese  labourers  to 
the  Hawaiian  Islands,  where  they  are  employed  in  the  sugar  plan- 
tations. At  the  present  time  (1903)  they  exceed  in  numbers  all  other 
races  in  the  islands,  being  many  thousands  in  excess  of  the  native 
inhabitants  and  Anglo-Saxons,  and  their  native-born  descendants  will 
in  the  future  largely  furnish  the  backbone  of  the  territorial  community. 


80        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

reached  the  boundaries  of  the  Empire.  One  of  them 
was  an  old  nobleman  of  high  rank,  with  a  kind  and 
genial  face,  whose  history  was  full  of  startling 
incidents. 

As  we  moved  quietly  toward  the  great  Inland  Sea 
of  Japan  I  reflected  on  the  strange  and  unexpected 
events  of  the  last  ten  days.  Our  abode  had  been  in 
the  altitudes,  the  upper  air  of  Oriental  royal  life,  but 
we  had  now  descended  by  a  parachute  to  the  common 
ways  and  stood  on  the  deck  of  a  trading-steamer. 
One  act  in  the  comedy  of  "The  Royal  Traveller"  had 
closed.  What  would  be  the  scenes  and  incidents  of 
the  next?  As  we  smoked  our  cigars  in  a  quiet  con- 
ference we  could  see  how  circumstances  had  shaped 
for  us  this  splendid  reception  in  Japan,  but  we  could 
not  conceive  any  reason  why  any  other  people  should 
recognise,  beyond  the  merest  civilities,  the  existence 
of  such  a  small  nation  as  Hawaii.  My  own  pleasure 
in  this  generous  reception  was  that  it  had  brought  me 
face  to  face  with  the  reconstructors  of  a  great  empire. 
Christendom  calls  these  men  pagans,  but  by  the 
worldly  standard  they  measure  well  as  statesmen.- 
There  is  before  them  a  more  difficult  task  than  that 
of  the  founders  of  the  American  Constitution.  For 
these  founders  took  the  existing  wise  and  whole- 
some laws,  political  habits  and  usages  of  the  people, 
and  with  little  innovation  shaped  them  into  a  great 
Constitution.  They  simply  grafted  better  stock  on 
the  healthy  roots  of  self-government,  already  deeply 
fixed  in  the  soil.  But  the  Japanese  statesmen, 
Saigo,  Ito,  Inouye,  Okubo,  and  Katsu,  with  the  aid 
of  the  Emperor,  are  placing  a  modern  and  par- 
liamentary structure  of  government  upon  a  nar- 
row, and  ancient,  foundation  of  absolute  feudalism. 


WITH    A    KING  81 

They  will  be  ranked  among  the  leaders  of  men  if 
within  one  hundred  years  their  plans  are  successful. 
To-day  they  are  only  at  the  dawning  of  their  new 
civilisation.  Griffith,  one  of  their  ablest  and  most 
impartial  historians,  gives  them  this  high  praise: 
"  The  noblest  trait  in  the  character  of  the  Japanese 
is  his  willingness  to  change  for  the  better  when  he 
discovers  his  wrong  or  inferiority." 

The  King  and  the  suite  were  now  members  of  the 
conspicuous  military  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun,  and 
upon  the  King's  asking  the  nature  of  our  obligations 
as  such  members,  I,  as  his  law  officer,  instructed  him 
that  if  the  Emperor  of  Japan  demanded  his  active 
assistance  in  the  event  of  war  he  might  be  obliged 
to  order  out  our  Hawaiian  fleet  of  double  war-canoes 
to  protect  the  Japanese  fleet;  but  that  the  question 
was  one  which  should  be  submitted  to  a  conference 
of  nations. 

On  landing  at  Kobe  the  royal  party  went  by  train 
to  the  ancient  capital  and  city  of  Kioto.  The  Gov- 
ernor of  the  city  received  us  and  led  us  through  the 
ancient  palace  of  the  Mikado.  The  grounds  were 
excellent  examples  of  Japanese  skill  in  gardening; 
the  palace  and  the  buildings  connected  with  it  were 
richly  furnished,  but  simple  in  construction,  for  it 
was  one  of  the  rules  of  Shintoism,  the  State  religion, 
that  the  Mikado  should  lead  a  simple  life. 

We  occupied  three  carriages  in  driving  about  the 
city,  but  they  were  no  longer  imperial.  As  we  were 
not  in  uniform,  and  no  special  effort  was  made  to  dis- 
tinguish the  King  from  his  suite,  the  many  thousands 
of  people  who  filled  the  streets,  but  opened  a  passage- 
way for  us,  were  unable  to  pick  out  the  King.  Some 
of  them  pointed  to  the  Chamberlain  as  the  King,  some 

6 


82        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  them  looked  at  me.  At  one  place  our  carriages 
were  separated  for  a  few  moments  and  drove  through 
different  streets.  For  a  few  moments  I  received  the 
adoration  of  the  people,  many  of  them  bowing  to  the 
ground,  to  the  amusement  of  the  Imperial  Commis- 
sioner by  my  side,  who  said  the  mistake  would  cause 
much  discussion  among  the  people  for  many  years, 
as  to  the  complexion  of  the  King :  some  would  insist 
that  he  was  a  white  man,  and  others  that  he  was  a 
dark  man.  The  sensation  of  being  received  as  a  mon- 
arch is  not  a  disagreeable  one ;  but  it  is  quickly  suc- 
ceeded by  the  feeling  that  you  are,  even  innocently, 
imposing  on  the  crowd.  It  is  not  convenient  to  rise 
in  the  carriage  and  say,  "  The  man  you  are  looking 
after  is  around  the  corner." 

After  some  presentations  of  local  authorities  to 
the  King,  in  the  Governor's  residence,  the  royal  party 
returned  by  train  to  the  city  of  Osaka,  where  there 
was  another  reception  in  the  residence  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  that  province,  and  a  visit  to  the  Mint  fol- 
lowed. While  in  the  street  we  were  suddenly  asked 
to  leave  the  carriages  and  mount  jinrikishas. 

The  King,  while  in  Tokio,  said  he  would  like  to 
visit  a  common  inn  of  the  country,  but  etiquette 
forbade  the  guest  of  the  Emperor  from  entering  one 
in  Tokio.  In  the  distant  city  of  Osaka,  however,  it 
was  arranged  that  he  should,  incognito,  visit  and  dine 
in  one  of  them.  After  riding  some  distance  and  walk- 
ing through  a  narrow  street  we  entered  a  common 
inn  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  and  quietly  went  to  the 
dining-room  as  if  we  were  foreign  tourists  of  note. 
Royal  etiquette  was  now  carefully  put  aside,  and 
the  King  was  placed  on  the  floor  at  an  inferior  seat. 
The  dinner  was,  however,  an  elaborate  one,  and  the 


WITH    A    KING  83 

geisha  girls  were  extremely  pretty  and  graceful. 
After  serving  the  dishes,  with  the  usual  bowing  to 
the  floor  which  is  customary  before  the  higher  classes, 
there  was  dancing  and  music.  The  dancing  re- 
sembled that  of  the  Hawaiians,  but  was  not  so 
"  abandoned."  Believing  that  our  identity  was  well 
concealed,  one  of  the  Japanese  officials  asked  a  geisha, 
"  Do  you  know  who  these  people  are  ?  "  She  replied 
promptly  "  that  one  of  them  was  the  King  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands."  We  had  been  betrayed.  After 
dining  for  several  hours  we  hurried  to  the  train,  for 
it  was  then  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening;  and  we 
arrived  at  Kobe  at  midnight.  The  King  called  at 
once  upon  Mrs.  Gulick,  a  venerable  missionary  re- 
siding in  Kobe,  who  was  for  many  years  a  mission- 
ary in  the  Hawaiian  kingdom.  The  house  was  filled 
with  Japanese  Christians  who  wished  to  see  the  King 
of  a  Christian  nation. 

He  was  then  received  by  the  Governor  and  the 
Consular  Corps  at  midnight,  and  shortly  after  re- 
sumed the  voyage  to  Nagasaki.  The  trip  through  the 
Inland  Sea  seemed  to  be  through  a  lake  with  an 
ever-receding  boundary.  The  hundreds  of  islands, 
many  of  them  pyramidal  in  form,  were  so  thickly 
grouped  as  to  cut  off  the  sight  of  a  channel  before  us, 
and,  with  the  mountains  on  either  hand,  formed  a 
vast  amphitheatre,  a  lake  enclosed  by  mountains. 
The  steamer  moved  directly  toward  what  seemed  an 
impassable  barrier  of  hills,  but  a  slight  turn  revealed 
a  sheet  of  water,  and  beyond  this  another  apparent 
barrier.  While  steaming  the  next  morning  over  the 
unruffled  water,  we  passed  a  British  cruiser;  our 
royal  standard  was  raised,  and  the  cruiser  hoisted 
the  Hawaiian  flag  and  fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one 


84        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

guns.  The  report  of  the  guns  struck  the  surround- 
ing hills,  and  the  echo  gave  the  effect  of  a  double 
salute. 

The  King  now  gave  to  the  Imperial  Commis- 
sioners some  of  his  reflections.  The  Buddha  temples 
had  greatly  pleased  him.  Their  bizarre  architecture 
and  gaudy  ornaments  were  more  attractive  to  him 
than  the  severe,  cold,  church  buildings  which  the 
Puritanism  of  New  England  had  erected  in  his 
kingdom.  He  said  such  temples  would  adorn  the 
beautiful  valleys  of  his  islands,  and  suggested  to  me 
correspondence  with  my  colleagues  in  the  govern- 
ment on  the  subject  of  introducing  Buddhism  to 
his  people.  He  consulted  the  Imperial  Commis- 
sioners about  the  probability  of  securing  priests ;  but 
they  did  not  encourage  him.  He  told  me  that  he 
believed  in  reincarnation,  though  I  do  not  think  he 
understood  it  clearly.  But  I  respectfully  replied  that 
to  carry  on  reincarnation  on  a  working  scale  in  his 
kingdom  would  require  large  numbers  of  tigers, 
snakes,  hippopotami,  wildcats,  monkeys,  and  other 
dreadful  creatures,  into  which  the  souls  of  the  be- 
lievers could  enter  and  be  reincarnated;  that  each 
soul,  according  to  the  true  doctrine,  passed  through 
five  hundred  reincarnations  before  it  received  a  ticket 
for  a  reserved  seat  on  the  everlasting  lotus-flower, 
and  it  would  take  many  beasts  to  give  every  soul  a 
chance;  so  that  if  he  really  desired  to  introduce 
Buddhism  to  his  people  he  should,  on  the  tour,  buy 
up  the  contents  of  bankrupt  or  superfluous  menag- 
eries which  were  ofifered  for  sale,  take  them  home, 
and  turn  the  animals  loose  in  his  kingdom,  in  order 
that  they  might  co-operate  with  him  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  Buddhism  in  Hawaii.     Thereafter  the 


WITH    A    KING  85 

King  said  confidentially  to  the  Chamberlain  that  the 
Minister  had  trifled  with  a  matter  which  deeply  in- 
terested him,  but  he  would  pursue  the  subject  on 
reaching  home.  I  knew  that  his  desire  was  a  tem- 
porary fancy  which  would  pass  off  with  new  sights, 
and  that  he  would  probably  be  in  favour  of  formally 
introducing  Confucianism  when  we  reached  China; 
for  in  fact  the  Chinese  male  Confucianists  then  ex- 
ceeded in  numbers  all  the  male  Christians  in  his 
kingdom. 

From  several  remarks  made  by  my  royal  master 
I  suspected  that  the  common  belief  of  the  Japanese 
in  the  divine  origin  of  the  Emperor  had  strongly 
affected  him,  and  he  was  planning  the  culture  of  a 
similar  belief  among  his  own  people  regarding  him- 
self. The  Chamberlain  and  I  saw  symptoms  of  his 
scheme  in  his  declaration  one  day  that  the  kings  of 
Hawaii  descended  from  the  akuas  (gods),  but  that 
the  missionaries  had  denied  it.  To  establish  or  re- 
vive this  belief  among  his  superstitious  subjects 
would  be  a  ringbolt  to  which  he  could  fasten  his 
throne.  On  his  return  home  he  attempted  this  as 
a  means  of  strengthening  the  loyalty  of  his  people 
to  himself,  which  was  never  over-strenuous. 

Entering  the  landlocked  harbour  of  Nagasaki,  the 
royal  standard  was  again  raised,  and  six  warships 
gave  a  royal  salute.  The  Russian  admiral  put  at 
the  King's  disposition  his  steam  launch,  and  he  was 
received  by  the  Governor  of  the  province.  Among 
his  callers  was  the  Yankee  captain  of  a  Japanese 
steamer,  who  had  been  in  that  service  for  twelve 
years.  He  illustrated  the  ancient  and  even  modern 
art  of  navigation  in  the  empire  by  a  story  of  a 
Japanese  steamer  commanded  by  a  German  captain, 


86        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

who,  after  leaving  port,  set  the  course  of  the  vessel 
to  the  north  and  then  went  to  his  cabin.  Waking 
up  during  the  night,  he  noticed  that  "  the  stars  were 
not  right."  He  looked  at  the  compass  and  saw  that 
his  vessel  was  heading  South.  He  rushed  out,  and, 
demanding  an  explanation,  was  gravely  told  that  the 
Japanese  officers,  being  in  doubt  about  the  course 
he  had  directed,  had  at  once  consulted  the  cook,  who 
declared  that  the  foreign  captain  was  in  error,  where- 
upon they  had  promptly  reversed  the  ship's  course. 
From  time  immemorial  the  cook  has  been  the  chief 
person  on  a  Japanese  junk.  Kinglake,  recounting 
his  travels  in  Greece,  says  he  found  the  cook  of  a 
Grecian  trading-vessel  the  most  important  person  on 
board;    he  did  not  hesitate  to  overrule  the  captain. 

In  Nagasaki  we  noticed  the  promiscuous  bathing 
of  the  sexes  in  public;  it  had  been  forbidden  in 
Tokio  and  Yokohama  as  a  concession  to  European 
sentiment.  I  asked  one  of  the  Imperial  Commis- 
sioners why  a  sensitive  people  had  permitted  such  a 
practice.  He  replied  that  it  was  a  time-honoured 
custom ;  and  that  on  the  other  hand  many  Japanese 
who  had  been  in  Europe  were  equally  shocked  at 
the  ballet,  which  they  looked  upon  as  positively  vul- 
gar and  indecent.  This  was  also  the  opinion  of  a 
Chinese  Minister  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  who 
wrote  to  his  government  that  he  had  great  aversion 
to  the  dresses  with  low  necks  which  the  British 
Queen  "  commanded  "  should  be  worn  by  ladies  on 
State  occasions.  The  Japanese  vernacular  press  also, 
I  noticed,  severely  condemned  the  nude,  in  art  and 
sculpture,  of  Christendom;  which  leads  me  to  think 
that  if  Pilate  on  the  judgment-seat  of  morality 
should  ask,  "  What  is  modesty  ?  "  —  the  moralist  of 


WITH    A    KING  87 

Christendom  would  fall  into  contradictions  and  con- 
fusion for  answer. 

The  "  Tokio-maru,"  to  which  we  were  now  trans- 
ferred in  order  to  reach  Shanghai,  was  coaled  by  the 
passing  of  baskets  from  the  coal-heaps  to  the  ves- 
sel's bunkers,  by  the  little  brown  women  and  tiny 
brown  children  who  stood  in  lines  and  earned  about 
six  cents  a  day.  We  steamed  out  of  the  harbour 
with  the  noise  and  smoke  of  more  royal  salutes. 

At  the  distance  of  a  marine  league  from  the  shore 
the  boundaries  of  the  empire  were  reached;  the  en- 
gines were  stopped,  and  the  Japanese  Imperial  Com- 
missioners, having  finished  their  mission  of  escorting 
the  King  to  the  boundaries,  took  leave  of  him  and 
returned  to  Nagasaki  and  Tokio.  Our  royal  standard 
dipped  three  times  in  honour  of  the  Emperor's  repre- 
sentatives ;  and  they  carried  the  King's  last  words  of 
thanks  to  the  Emperor  for  his  unbounded  hospitality. 


88        AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER   XI 

The  Yellow  Sea  —  The  King  Wishes  to  See  the  Emperor  of 
China  —  Decided  to  be  Impracticable  —  Shanghai  —  Re- 
ceived by  the  Taotai  —  An  American  Negro  in  China  —  A 
Large  Steamer  Placed  at  the  King's  Service  —  The  Boy 
and  the  "  Cannibal  King "  —  Departure  for  Tientsin  — 
Danger  from  Pirates  —  The  Peiho  River  and  the  Taku 
Forts  —  "  Blood  is  Thicker  than  Water  "  —  Received  at 
Tientsin  by  the  Taotai  and  Viceroy  Li  Hung  Chang's 
Secretary  —  Difficulties  About  Visiting  Pekin  —  The  King 
Only  a  Foreign  Devil  —  Calling  on  the  Viceroy  —  Li  Asks 
Questions  and  Smokes  —  The  Viceroy  Returns  the  King's 
Call  and  Asks  More  Questions  —  His  Opinion  About  the 
Japanese  —  People  Gather  to  See  the  "  Black  Foreign 
Devil  "  —  Dinner  with  the  Viceroy  —  The  Viceroy's  Son  — 
Chinese  Democracy  —  Presents  from  the  Viceroy. 

WE  now  Steamed  over  the  Yellow  Sea.  While 
in  Tokio  the  King  had  intimated  to  one  of 
the  Imperial  Commissioners  that  he  intended  to  visit 
the  Emperor  of  China,  then  a  lad.  With  diplomatic 
reserve  his  purpose  was  not  discouraged,  but  the 
suite  were  told  that  it  would  create  complications. 
Our  reception  in  Japan  had  modified  his  modesty; 
nor  did  he  realise  the  strained  relations  between  the 
Chinese  and  foreign  governments.  He  finally  told 
his  suite  of  his  intention,  but  they  strongly  op- 
posed it. 

We  arrived  at  Shanghai  at  noon.  No  notice  of 
the  King's  purpose  to  visit  China  had  been  officially 
given;  if  it  had  it  would  have  created  consternation 
in  the  Yamen  at  Pekin.  No  royal  salutes  were  fired 
as  we  entered  the  Woosung  River;    we  were  now 


WITH    A    KING  89 

among  a  people  indifferent  and  perhaps  unfriendly 
to  us.  We  dropped  suddenly  from  the  pinnacle  of 
royal  hospitality  to  its  base,  and  the  royal  standard 
lay  dejectedly  in  its  canvas  bag.  The  American 
Consul-General,  however,  called  on  the  King,  who 
had  taken  lodgings  in  the  "  Astor  House."  He  un- 
wisely urged  him  to  visit  Pekin  and  be  the  first  of 
foreign  kings  to  enter  the  Forbidden  City. 

No  diplomatic  corps  resides  in  Shanghai,  but  the 
taotai  or  mayor  of  the  place  was  notified  by  the  Amer- 
ican Consul  of  the  arrival  of  tlie  King.  The  fol- 
lowing day  he  appeared  in  a  sedan  chair,  with  a 
large  retinue  preceding  and  following  him;  while 
runners,  with  the  beating  of  gongs  and  loud  cries, 
notified  the  spectators  to  make  the  way  clear.  We 
observed  at  once  the  fine  physiques,  clear  eyes,  and 
intelligent  faces  of  the  men  of  the  higher  classes, 
but  there  was  the  inscrutable  physiognomy  which 
Europeans  cannot  penetrate.  He  said  that  he  de- 
sired to  honour  the  King  of  a  foreign  country,  and 
asked  if  the  King  would  condescend  to  dine  with 
him.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  but  the  dinner 
was  postponed  until  after  our  return  from  Tientsin. 

The  manager  of  the  China  Merchants  Steamship 
Company,  which  owned  a  fleet  of  thirty-six  large 
steamers  and  looked  for  trade  in  the  Pacific,  had 
already  sent  several  vessels  to  the  Hawaiian  group. 
In  order  to  make  favour  with  the  King  he  placed  at 
his  Majesty's  disposal  a  large  steamer,  the  "  Pautah," 
for  the  trip  to  Tientsin.  The  manager  was  a  fine 
American  negro  who  had  shown  much  ability  when 
employed  by  the  American  Legation  in  Pekin;  he 
was  not  only  well  educated,  but  spoke  several  lan- 
guages, including  Chinese;    his  father  was  a  negro 


90         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

preacher  in  Washington,  D,  C.  He  had  married  a 
handsome  English  girl  in  Shanghai,  who  was  an 
artist;  but  his  marriage  to  a  white  person  had  much 
incensed  the  Americans  living  in  Shanghai,  though 
it  was  cordially  approved  by  the  English,  Germans, 
and  French  residents.  He  caused  some  cabins  of 
the  "  Pautah  "  to  be  refurnished  and  made  provision 
for  a  sumptuous  table.  Though  the  steamer  was  on 
the  regular  line  of  travel  between  Shanghai  and 
Tientsin,  he  refused  to  permit  any  persons  to  take 
passage  in  her,  reserving  this  great  vessel  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  King  and  suite;  she  became, 
therefore,  for  this  trip,  the  private  yacht  of  the 
royal  party.  The  cost  was  great,  but  the  shrewd 
Chinese  no  doubt  expected  favours  in  their  future 
trade  with  Hawaii. 

On  the  morning  of  our  landing  in  Shanghai,  an 
American  lad  who  lived  in  the  Astor  House  showed 
great  curiosity  to  see  a  "  live  king."  He  dressed 
himself  neatly  and  waited  near  the  door  of  the 
King's  chamber.  An  American  living  in  the  city, 
who  knew  the  lad,  warned  him  against  getting  within 
the  King's  reach,  for  he  said,  "  He  is  the  King  of 
the  Cannibal  Islands,  and  is  uncommonly  fond  of 
roasted  little  boys."  The  little  fellow  disappeared 
instantly,  but  returned  in  a  few  moments  covered 
with  mud.  The  gentleman  who  had  warned  him 
asked  his  reason  for  rolling  in  the  dirt.  He  replied, 
"  The  King  would  not  eat  a  dirty  boy." 

We  smiled  at  our  luck  in  becoming  the  sole  occu- 
pants of  a  fine  steamer  for  the  next  ten  days.  We 
embarked  without  salutes  or  ceremonies  of  any  kind. 
The  captain  was  a  Yankee  skipper,  with  three  Ameri- 
can officers,  while  the  crew  were  well-trained  Chinese. 


WITH    A    KING  91 

The  numerous  stewards  stood  about  the  saloon,  with 
no  duty  but  to  wait  upon  the  King's  party ;  the  table 
of  an  Atlantic  liner  was  not  better  supplied.  Around 
the  sides  of  the  main  saloon  were  fastened  racks 
filled  with  muskets  and  cutlasses,  and  amidships  were 
several  cannon,  for  there  is  danger,  although  remote, 
of  piratical  attacks  on  the  Yellow  Sea.  It  was  pos- 
sible that  a  Chinese  Captain  Kidd  might  bear  down 
upon  us,  and  if  he  captured  us,  the  King  and  suite 
might  be  directed  in  forcible  pidgin-English  to  "  walk 
the  plank."  The  King  did  not  like  the  warlike  look 
of  the  steamer,  and  asked  the  skipper  whether  he 
would  fight  or  run  if  pirates  should  make  an  attack. 
The  answer  was  characteristic:  "Fight,  by  gum! 
Mr.  King.  I  'd  like  to  get  a  show  at  those  yaller 
dogs!" 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  steamer  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Peiho  River.  Extended  fortifications 
stretched  along  the  left  bank,  while  on  the  right 
were  the  low  batteries  which  crippled  the  British 
naval  forces  in  i860,  upon  which  occasion  the  Amer- 
ican commodore,  Tatnall,  allowed  his  boat's  crew  to 
man  the  British  guns,  and  declared  the  future  in- 
ternational policy  of  America  and  England :  "  Blood 
is  thicker  than  water !  " 

Crossing  the  bar,  we  steamed  up  the  river  to 
Tientsin.  The  royal  standard  was  hoisted  and  was 
recognised  by  the  Consular  Corps.  The  docks  were 
soon  covered  with  people,  who  stood  silent  and  stolid. 
The  King's  arrival  was  announced  to  the  taotai,  who, 
with  a  large  retinue,  paid  a  formal  visit  to  the  King, 
who  received  him  in  the  "  compound  "  or  premises 
of  the  steamship  company.  The  taotai  said  that  the 
Viceroy,  General  Li  Hung  Chang,  had  ordered  a 


92        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

search  to  be  made  for  suitable  apartments  for  his 
Majesty,  but  they  could  not  be  readily  secured.  He 
asked  if  the  King's  country  was  a  part  of  America, 
and  if  he  had  come  around  Cape  Horn.  He  retired 
with  much  ceremony.  After  he  left,  a  mandarin, 
Li-Sun,  the  secretary  of  the  Viceroy,  called.  He 
spoke  English,  informing  us  that  he  had  been  grad- 
uated at  Hamilton  College,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  many  years 
ago,  and  that  he  had  a  son  who  was  a  student  at  Yale. 
He  had  known  relatives  of  the  King's  Chamberlain, 
who  lived  in  the  town  where  the  college  was  situated. 
We  told  him  that  we  preferred  to  remain  on  the 
steamer,  where  we  had  excellent  accommodations. 
He  dined  with  us.  While  a  member  of  the  Consular 
Corps  engaged  the  King's  attention,  the  Secretary 
asked  me  if  the  King  intended  to  visit  Pekin.  I 
told  him  that  the  King  wished  to  meet  General 
Li  Hung  Chang  and  would  visit  Pekin  if  it  was 
practicable.  Li-Sun  replied  that  the  Viceroy  would 
appreciate  the  visit,  but  a  trip  to  Pekin  would  re- 
quire much  preliminary  study;  many  communica- 
tions would  have  to  be  exchanged,  and  the  Yamen 
would  carefully  consider  the  matter;  he  thought  it 
would  be  at  least  five  weeks  before  it  could  be  defi- 
nitely settled.  He  declined,  however,  to  represent 
the  views  of  the  Imperial  Government.  After  he 
left  I  told  the  King  that  it  was  quite  clear  to  me 
that  he  was  not  wanted  at  Pekin;  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Dowager  Empress  and  her  consort  he  was  only 
a  fanqui  (foreign  devil).  Foreign  ambassadors 
were  received  by  her  only  through  fear  of  the 
sword;  if  he  persisted,  he  would  catch  a  genuine 
"  Tartar,"  who  was  quite  as  fierce  as  the  bogie 
Tartars  in  the  story-books;    instead  of  making  an 


WITH    A    KING  93 

ever-glorious  journey  to  the  Forbidden  City,  he 
would  find  the  Celestial  Family  "  not  at  home,"  and  a 
sign  on  the  gate-post,  "Beware  of  the  dog;"  be- 
sides, as  he  had  no  army  or  navy  behind  him,  he 
might  be  seized,  put  in  a  bamboo  cage,  and  paraded 
through  China.  The  King  finally  abandoned  his 
intention  of  going  to  Pekin, 

Mandarin  Li-Sun  returned  with  a  message  from 
the  Viceroy  that  he  would  send  his  own  sedan  chairs 
to  the  steamer  in  the  morning,  and  they  would  bring 
the  King  and  suite  to  the  Yamen,  which  was  the 
Viceroy's  palace. 

During  the  day  several  members  of  the  Consular 
Corps  called  on  the  King,  and  we  visited  a  part  of  the 
city;  a  number  of  Chinese  merchants  called  and 
tendered  banquets  to  his  Majesty. 

The  Viceroy's  sedan  chairs  arrived  in  the  morning, 
with  Secretary  Li-Sun,  and  we,  in  uniform,  entered 
them;  each  was  borne  by  four  men.  The  bamboo 
carrying-poles  bent  as  if  they  would  break  under  the 
heavy  weights  of  the  King  and  the  Chamberlain ;  the 
wiry  and  lean  coolie  bearers  were  soon  in  a  profuse 
perspiration.  The  route  lay  through  several  miles  of 
narrow  streets,  whose  walls  were  so  close  to  each 
other  that  the  extended  hands  of  one  seated  in  a 
chair  could  almost  touch  both  sides  at  the  same  time. 
The  people,  at  the  sound  of  the  Viceroy's  gong  and 
the  cry  of  the  Governor's  guard,  packed  themselves 
close  to  the  walls,  and  gazed  silently  and  stolidly  into 
the  dark  face  of  the  King. 

At  the  gates  of  the  Yamen  a  troop  of  soldiers 
awkwardly  presented  arms,  and  an  explosion  of  three 
large  fire-crackers  —  the  regular  salute  —  was  made. 
Alighting  in  the  court-yard,  we  advanced  a  few  steps 


94         AROUND    THE    WORLD 

to  meet  the  Viceroy,  who  stood  alone,  in  a  brilliant 
dress,  while  behind  him  was  a  retinue  of  his  officials. 
He  shook  hands  with  himself  cordially,  according 
to  Chinese  custom,  and  then,  in  deference  to  the  im- 
memorial pump-handle  welcome  of  the  Europeans, 
shook  hands  with  the  King  and  with  the  suite.  He 
led  the  way,  between  lines  of  bowing  officials,  through 
several  large  rooms,  to  a  reception-chamber,  where 
we  sat  around  a  large  circular  table.  The  room  was 
ornamented  with  beautiful  vases;  and  on  the  walls 
were  silk  curtains  upon  which  were  inscribed  moral 
precepts.  One  of  them,  translated  for  me  by  Man- 
darin Li-Sun,  was  quite  like  the  motto  over  Lord 
Coke's  chambers  in  London,  in  the  last  century, 
"  Prudens  qui  patiens,"  —  which  his  negro  servant 
broadly  translated,  "  The  prudent  man  never  hurries 
when  he  tries  to  catch  a  monkey." 

The  Viceroy  at  once  began  to  ask  questions :  "  How 
many  islands  are  there  in  your  kingdom?  "  —  "  How 
old  are  you?  "  —  "  Do  you  have  a  Parliament?  "  — 
"  How  many  people  are  there  in  your  kingdom  ?  " 
By  his  side  stood  his  pipe-bearers.  The  bowl  rested 
on  the  floor,  and  a  servant  holding  a  live  coal  knelt 
at  the  bowl,  watching  the  Viceroy's  face;  the  other 
bearer  stood  by  the  side  of  the  Viceroy,  who  at 
intervals,  without  moving  his  head,  raised  and  opened 
his  hand,  into  which  the  vigilant  bearer  instantly 
placed  the  stem  of  the  pipe,  and  the  kneeling  servant 
applied  the  fire.  He  took  several  whiffs  of  smoke, 
opened  his  hand,  and  the  bearer  removed  the  pipe- 
stem,  while  the  lighter  recharged  the  bowl  with  fresh 
tobacco.  The  Viceroy,  who  had  information  about 
the  Hawaiian  kingdom  which  Li-Sun  had  given  him, 
continued : 


Li  Hung  Chang  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  95 

"  You  have  many  Chinese  in  your  country,  and 
you  treat  them  well."  —  "  Are  you  the  son  of  your 
predecessor?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  King,  "  I  come  from  another  old 
dynasty." 

"  What  did  you  do  when  you  were  a  boy?  "  asked 
the  Viceroy. 

The  King  hesitated  for  a  moment,  reflected,  and 
replied  at  a  venture: 

"  I  went  into  the  army  when  I  was  sixteen  years 
of  age." 

This  provoked  instantly  the  ever-vexing  question, 
"  How  large  is  your  army?  " 

"  I  have  few  regular  troops,"  replied  his  Majesty; 
"  I  rely  on  volunteers." 

"  Are  the  gentlemen  in  your  suite  Hawaiians  ? " 
continued  the  catechiser. 

"  Both  are  Hawaiians,"  replied  the  King. 

"  I  see,"  said  the  Viceroy,  "  that  he  [pointing  to 
Colonel  Judd]  is  dark;  but  he  [pointing  to  me] 
is  white.  Why  are  they  different?  Do  you  have 
white  natives  among  your  subjects?" 

"  The  parents  of  both  were  Americans,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  You  have  missionaries ;  do  you  like  them  ?  "  was 
the  next  question. 

"  Yes,  they  are  good  people,"  said  the  King. 

His  Majesty  was  rather  confused  with  the  ra- 
pidity of  the  questions.  Secretary  Li-Sun  was  the 
interpreter. 

The  Viceroy  rose  and  led  the  King  to  another 
room,  where  there  was  a  talkie  loaded  with  sweet- 
meats. Champagne  was  served.  The  Viceroy  said 
he  would  return  the  King's  visit  the  next  day,  and 


96        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

then  walked  with  him  to  the  court-yard  and  stood  near 
the  sedan  chair  while  the  King  entered  it.  He  re- 
mained there  bowing  until  we  had  reached  the  gates 
and  another  salute  of  three  explosions  had  been  given. 
Mandarin  Li-Sun  arrived  soon  after,  and  his  conver- 
sation gave  us  much  interesting  information  about 
the  Chinese,  the  life  of  the  Viceroy,  and  the  inter- 
national relations  of  China  with  the  Great  Powers. 

The  scope  of  this  memoir  excludes  a  general  dis- 
cussion of  the  Chinese  problems  which  are  vexing  the 
European  Powers.  My  own  opinions  would  be  those 
of  a  globe-trotter.  Those  things  which  make  up  the 
character  and  tendencies  of  a  nation  or  a  community, 
and  shape  its  career,  are  not  open,  but  concealed,  and 
only  patient  industry  or  rare  insight  can  detect  them. 

The  next  morning  our  temporary  yacht,  the 
*■  Pautah,"  was  decorated  with  flags,  and  the  Vice- 
roy's barge  brought  him  down  the  river  at  ten  o'clock. 
After  some  ceremonies  on  deck  he  entered  the  saloon 
with  the  King,  and  after  tea  was  served  he  renewed 
his  cross-examination.  The  suite  aided  the  King, 
and  the  Viceroy  would  frequently  turn  to  them  and 
spear  them  with  sharp  queries.  The  King  remarked 
that  the  Emperor  of  Japan  had  shown  him  great  hos- 
pitality. The  Viceroy  replied  that  the  Japanese  could 
not  be  depended  upon.  He  said  he  regretted  he  had 
no  palace  to  which  he  could  invite  the  King,  but 
would  give  him  a  banquet  the  next  evening  in  the 
compound  of  the  steamship  company.  He  then  rose 
and  walked  slowly  to  the  gangway  with  his  Majesty; 
they  appeared  to  be  of  the  same  height. 

During  the  next  day  crowds  of  people  pressed  to 
the  edge  of  the  dock,  peering  into  the  doors  and  win- 
dows of  our  steamer.    Some  of  them  were  motionless 


WITH    A    KING  97 

for  hours,  for  they  saw  in  the  Viceroy's  giiest  not 
only  a  "foreign  devil,"  but  a  black  foreign  devil. 
The  children  were  brought  to  the  dock  in  their 
fathers'  arms  that  they  too  might  see  the  awe-inspir- 
ing sight. 

Late  in  the  day  we  walked  across  the  street  to  the 
compound.  The  Viceroy  had  already  arrived  in  his 
brilliant  dress,  and  we  appeared  in  full  uniform. 
The  Viceroy  received  the  King  at  the  door  and  led 
him  to  the  reception-room,  where  the  prominent  men 
of  the  city,  both  Chinese  and  foreigners,  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Viceroy  and  King.  Tea  was  served, 
and  we  entered  the  dining-room.  The  Viceroy  placed 
the  King  on  his  right  hand,  and  myself  on  his  left, 
and  next  to  me  his  son,  a  young  man  who  was  study- 
ing the  English  language  and  spoke  it  with  hesita- 
tion. When  this  young  gentleman  discovered  that 
I  was  an  American,  he  asked  me  many  questions 
about  the  relation  of  the  States  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, for  he  could  not  understand  the  dual  system ; 
he  thought  it  confusing  and  dangerous.  The  dishes 
and  food  were  entirely  Chinese,  but  they  were  served 
at  tables,  and  forks  were  furnished  to  the  foreigners. 
The  fine  ware  had  been  brought  from  the  Viceroy's 
residence.  The  room  was  decorated  with  silk  cur- 
tains and  embroideries,  upon  which  were  worked 
moral  texts  from  the  Chinese  classics,  quite  like  the 
pious  aphorisms  which  appeared  on  the  walls  of  New 
England  homes  in  early  days,  but  which  are  removed 
as  prosperity  increases,  because  they  are  annoying 
and  impracticable. 

The  democratic  life  of  the  Chinese  was  seen  in  the 
freedom  allowed  to  the  crowd  to  enter  the  compound 
and  look  at  the  guests  through  the  window  while  they 

7 


98        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ate.  The  people  stood  on  one  another's  shoulders  and 
backs;  some  of  them  raised  themselves  with  bamboo 
sticks,  so  that  the  windows  were  filled  to  their  upper 
frame-work  with  stolid  faces  pressing  against  the 
glass.  The  Viceroy  occasionally  asked  questions,  but 
Li-Sun  was  seated  at  a  distance  from  him  and  could 
not  interpret  with  ease.  He  asked  me  questions 
through  his  son :  "  Why  is  not  your  office  of  Minister 
filled  by  a  native?  "  —  "  Are  the  natives  incapable?  " 
—  "Do  you  fear  the  United  States ?"  —  "  How 
much  good  have  the  missionaries  done?"  —  "Do 
you  know  General  Grant?  —  he  is  a  great  man." 

While  I  sat  by  the  side  of  this  celebrated  ruler  I 
felt  some  aversion  to  him,  for  it  was  he  who,  after 
the  Taeping  rebellion,  had  beheaded  80,000  Chinese 
prisoners  in  Canton.  After  all,  he  was  no  worse 
than  Napoleon,  who  said  to  Metternich  at  the  sign- 
ing of  the  Peace  at  Tilsit,  "  What  are  a  million  of 
lives  to  me  if  they  come  in  my  way?  " 

One  could  only  admire  the  fine,  strong  faces  of  the 
Chinese  merchants  and  mandarins  at  the  banquet, 
and  yet  De  Quincey,  in  his  scholarly  ignorance  of 
them  sixty  years  ago,  wrote :  "It  must  be  said  that 
the  Chinese  are  in  their  childhood."  De  Quincey 
did  not  foresee  the  time  when  the  citizens  of  the 
Great  Republic  would  tremble  at  the  industrial  energy 
and  economy  of  these  children.  The  Secretary, 
Li-Sun,  told  me  that  the  Viceroy  realised  the  need 
of  political  reconstruction  in  China,  but  he  could  not 
move  far  in  advance  of  the  people  he  governed  with- 
out losing  his  prestige.  He  realised  Burke's  aphorism 
that  "  he  who  leads  must  in  a  great  measure  follow." 

At  the  close  of  the  banquet  the  Viceroy,  the  King, 
and  the  guests  returned  to  the  reception-room,  and 


Menu  of  Dinner  given  in  honour  of 
by  Li  Hung  Chang. 


King  Kalakaua, 


WITH    A    KING  99 

the  King  and  the  Viceroy  parted.  It  was  our  final 
interview  with  this  man,  whose  fate  it  was,  not  to 
rule  the  great  wave  of  Chinese  humanity,  but  to 
float  on  it,  be  swayed  by  it,  and  be  landed  in  the  future 
on  some  unknown  shore,  as  all  great  statesmen  are 
landed  by  the  wave  of  popular  will. 

When  we  boarded  the  "  Pautah,"  the  King  found 
valuable  presents  of  tea  and  silk  which  the  Viceroy 
had  sent  to  him. 


100      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XII 

Return  to  Shanghai  —  Cordial  Receptions  —  Chinese  After- 
Dinner  Customs  —  Sail  for  Hongkong  —  Chinese  Super- 
stitions —  The  Missionary  Misunderstands  Them. 

EARLY  next  morning-  we  steamed  down  the 
Peiho.  At  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  forts  dis- 
played Chinese  flags  for  a  mile  on  the  ramparts,  and 
gave  the  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  guns.  On  the  third 
day  we  landed  in  Shanghai,  where  we  were  received 
and  entertained  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Kiswick,  the  head  of  the 
large  British  mercantile  house  of  Jardine,  Matheson 
&  Co.  We  attended  a  banquet  given  by  the  taotai; 
it  was  like  those  given  by  the  Viceroy,  and  by  the 
Chinese  Consul  in  San  Francisco.  At  its  close  there 
was  another  example  of  the  working-out  of  the 
dining  problem  in  Chinese  civilisation,  as  it  has  also 
been  solved  in  Japan.  Within  a  few  moments  after 
reaching  the  reception-room  after  the  dinner,  ser- 
vants, without  request,  appeared  with  our  coats  and 
hats  and  offered  them  to  us.  The  Chinese  believe 
that  repose  should  follow  a  feast ;  animals,  after  feed- 
ing, need  sleep  and  not  action.  They  avoid  the  in- 
ebriate loquacity  of  the  European  dinner.  The  guest 
is  not  left  to  choose  the  time  of  his  leaving,  which 
he  might  delay,  but  angels  of  mercy,  in  the  shape 
of  servants,  enter  with  hats,  coats,  and  umbrellas, 
and  release  the  host  from  post-prandial  stupidity. 

The  next  day  we  left  in  the  "  Thibet  "  for  Hong- 
kong.    The  King  had   "  sucked "   some  instructive 


WITH    A    KING  101 

knowledge  in  China;  he  could  regard  with  some 
equanimity  his  failure  to  see  the  Forbidden  City.  If 
the  ambassadors  of  the  great  European  Powers 
were  not  permitted  to  approach  the  Imperial  Chinese 
Throne  without  striking  the  ground  with  their  heads 
nine  times  before  that  awful  Presence,  Majesty 
itself  would  certainly  refuse  to  humiliate  itself.  My 
royal  master  had  without  due  consideration  ap- 
proached the  sacred  city,  looked  over  its  walls  at  the 
imperial  door,  and  had  put  his  hand  on  the  door-bell. 
But  before  he  pulled  it  he  discovered  the  notice, 
posted  near  the  Celestial  gate,  of  which  I  had  warned 
him :  "  Beware  of  the  dog."  He  took  his  hand  from 
the  bell  and  retired  without  urging  an  entrance. 
From  that  time  forward  he  was  pleased  whenever 
the  European  Powers  pulled  the  Celestial  noses  of  the 
Chinese  Imperial  Family. 

Among  the  passengers  were  several  Englishmen 
and  Americans  who  with  much  Anglo-Saxon  conceit 
related  many  of  the  singular  characteristics  of  the 
Chinese  people  as  evidences  of  their  heathenism  and 
present  childhood:  the  whipping  of  their  idols  if 
prayers  were  not  answered;  their  offering,  at  the 
tombs  of  their  ancestors,  wooden  pigs  and  ducks  in- 
stead of  the  real  articles ;  stealing  back  at  night  the 
food  offered  during  the  day;  their  belief  that  evil 
spirits  infest  the  world,  but  invariably  travel  on 
straight  lines,  so  that  garden  paths  are  made  crooked 
in  order  to  deceive  them,  and  the  roofs  of  houses  are 
made  so  irregularly  that  the  demons  lose  their  way 
when  moving  over  them  and  withdraw.  These  self- 
satisfied  Occidentals,  however,  forgot  that  there 
were  many  millions  of  people  in  their  own  country 
who  devoutly  believed  in  the  "  manifestations  "  con- 


102       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ducted  by  "  mediums,"  which  are  quite  as  grotesque 
and  superstitious;  these  mediums,  Hke  the  priests  of 
the  Chinese  joss-houses,  reveahng  the  secrets  of  the 
supernatural  world  only  on  a  cash  basis. 

Nor  are  the  Chinese  superstitions,  in  their  most 
extravagant  forms,  more  grotesque  than  the  very 
recent  belief  of  Christendom,  and  by  no  means  wholly 
abandoned  yet,  that  the  many  hundreds  of  millions 
of  Asiatics  are  condemned  to  eternal  torment  for  not 
accepting  a  religion  of  which  they  have  never  heard. 
The  tourist  in  the  Orient,  as  well  as  the  merchant  and 
trader,  forgets  that  the  Occidental  civilisation  of  the 
nineteenth  century  is,  as  Emerson  says,  "  yet  in  its 
swaddling-clothes,"  and  if  taken  as  a  whole,  instead 
of  in  its  parts,  is  so  badly  composed  that  the  wisest 
philanthropists  would  not  advise  the  Chinese  to  take 
it  as  it  really  is,  but  would  recommend  them  to  pick 
out  only  its  virtues.  If  the  wisdom  of  Providence 
has  leisurely  taken  nineteen  hundred  years  from  the 
erection  of  the  Cross  to  bring  European  civilisation 
up  to  its  present  imperfect  conditions,  in  which  brute 
force  represented  by  armies  and  battle-ships  is  largely 
the  evidence  of  a  nation's  progress,  China  may  justly 
claim  that  her  own  civilisation  should  not  be  sub- 
jected to  any  violent  changes,  but  only  be  placed  in 
the  course  of  a  gradual  evolution  which  is  normal 
and  healthy. 

The  missionary  in  China  is  confronted  by  the  same 
difficulties  that  exist  in  Japan.  His  teachings,  sound 
and  admirable  in  themselves,  tend  to  overturn  a 
political  principle  accepted  throughout  Christendom, 
that  no  foreigner  shall  preach  in  any  State  a  doctrine 
which  tends  to  impair  the  supreme  political  power. 
The  doctrine  of  the  missionaries  in  China  does  not 


WITH    A    KING  103 

directly  attack  that  power,  but  it  does  attack  the  idea 
of  ancestral  worship,  upon  which  political  power 
stands.  The  missionary,  as  I  have  already  said,  is 
inevitably  a  political  reformer.  He  is  impatient.  He 
wishes  to  see  Christianity  rise  in  the  Far  East  as  the 
tree  rises  in  the  trick  of  the  Hindoo  juggler,  who 
spreads  his  mat,  places  a  flower-pot  on  it,  plants  in  it 
a  seed,  and  holds  his  wand  over  it  till  it  sprouts, 
throws  out  leaves,  rises  to  a  tree,  extends  its  branches, 
and  casts  its  fruit  to  the  ground,  all  within  the  space 
of  an  hour.  It  is  this  haste  of  Christendom  to  see 
"  results "  which  prevents  it  from  adjusting  its 
methods  to  the  existing  conditions;  that  is,  from 
adopting  the  "  scientific,"  which  is  the  divine  method 
of  making  progress;  of  building  up,  instead  of  de- 
stroying what  exists.  No  one  has  yet  discovered  in 
the  Chinese  mind  an  insuperable  barrier  against  pro- 
gress. No  class  of  men  has  yet  studied  that  mind  for 
the  purpose  of  reaching  it.  The  humble  locksmith 
opens  a  vault,  the  key  of  which  is  lost,  not  by  trying 
it  with  common  keys,  but  by  studying  its  combina- 
tions and  taking  impressions  of  its  intricate  devices. 
When  the  missionary,  with  a  psychological  lantern, 
explores  without  preconceived  ideas  the  mysteries  of 
the  Chinese  mind,  he  will  devise  a  way  to  lodge  in  it 
the  best  truth ;  above  all,  he  will,  as  one  of  the  ablest 
of  missionaries  has  said,  not  destroy  what  is  good  in 
the  Chinese  religion,  but  preserve  it  and  add  to  it. 
He  will  not  destroy  ancestral  worship,  but  gradually 
enlighten  and  improve  it,  so  that  in  the  fulness  of 
time  it  will  eventually  assimilate  itself  to  the  true 
worship,  whatever  that  may  be. 


104       AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XIII 

At  Hongkong  —  The  King  Becomes  Queen  Victoria's  Guest 
at  Government  House  —  Conversations  with  the  Governor 
—  Saluted  by  Forts  and  Warships  —  Official  Announce- 
ment in  English  and  Chinese  —  A  Tramp  Steamer  Direct 
to  Siam  —  Colonel  Mosby,  American  Consul  —  Banquets 
and  Other  Entertainments  —  Captain  Cook's  Indiscretion  — 
Reception  to  Chinese  Merchants  —  Importance  of  Hong- 
kong —  British  Rule  —  The  King's  Nap  at  the  Banquet  — 
A  Lady's  Strategy  —  Chinese  Absorption  of  Christianity. 

THE  "  Thibet  "  anchored  in  the  evening  in  the 
harbour  of  Hongkong,  but  it  was  after  sun- 
set, and  thus  past  the  saluting-hour.  Owing  to  the 
considerable  commerce  between  this  place  and  the 
Hawaiian  kingdom,  the  King  was  represented  here 
by  a  Consul-General,  a  British  merchant  of  high 
standing.  He  promptly  boarded  the  steamer  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  the  King  to  his  fine  residence,  as 
an  invitation  to  stay  with  him  had  been  telegraphed 
to  Shanghai  and  accepted.  But  the  twelve-oared 
barge  of  Sir  John  Pope  Hennessey,  the  Colonial 
Governor,  suddenly  appeared  at  the  gangway,  and 
Dr.  Eitel,  his  private  secretary,  brought  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Governor,  asking  the  King,  in  the 
name  of  the  British  Queen,  to  be  his  guest.  The 
King  was  forced  to  break  his  promise  to  his  own 
Consul.  He  was,  however,  on  British  soil,  and  his 
Consul  was  an  Englishman.  He  broke  his  promise 
on  the  ground  that  in  social  affairs  the  Queen's 
wishes  take  precedence.     The  Consul  and  the  pri- 


WITH    A    KING  105 

vate  secretary  wrangled  over  the  matter  on  the  deck 
of  the  steamer.  My  own  Solomonic  way  of  settling 
the  matter  by  dividing  the  King  into  two  parts,  one 
of  which  should  go  to  the  Queen's  representative, 
and  the  other  to  the  Consul,  was  rejected,  and  we 
entered  the  royal  barge,  rowed  by  twelve  oarsmen 
in  the  Queen's  livery.  At  the  landing  we  entered 
sedan  chairs,  borne  by  coolies,  also  in  the  Queen's 
livery,  in  which  we  were  taken  to  the  Government 
House,  which  has  a  superb  situation  on  a  hill  over- 
looking the  city.  Here  the  Governor  received  the 
King  at  the  door,  and  led  him  to  his  audience-room, 
where  he,  with  the  suite,  were  presented  to  Lady 
Hennessey.  It  was  a  royal  reception,  and  restored 
the  continuity  of  the  Royal  Progress,  which  had 
been  broken  by  the  conduct  or  indifference  of  the 
little  yellow  five-clawed  Dragon  at  Pekin. 

After  the  King  retired,  the  Governor,  who  was  a 
clever  and  brilliant  man,  listened  to  the  story  of  our 
adventures  in  Tientsin.  He  was  surprised  that  the 
suite  allowed  the  King  to  attempt  an  interview  with 
the  Brother  of  the  Moon,  but  when  he  was  reminded 
of  the  fact  that  few  can  check  a  Royal  Horse  that 
takes  the  bit  in  his  mouth,  he  gave  us  his  sympathy, 
and  believed  that  our  interview  with  General  Li 
Hung  Chang  had  compensated  for  the  loss  of  the 
sight  of  the   Forbidden  City. 

While  we  were  taking  coffee  the  next  morning, 
the  forts,  with  seven  warships,  fired  the  usual  salute 
of  twenty-one  guns.  From  the  balcony  of  the  Gov- 
ernment House,  high  above  the  city,  we  looked  down 
on  a  dense  mass  of  smoke,  rolling  away  to  the  main- 
land, pierced  with  the  flashing  of  the  guns ;  the 
Hawaiian  flag  at  the  mainmast  of  every  warship; 


106       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  merchantmen  also,  who  like  to  show  their  bunt- 
ing, hoisting  the  King's  colours.  It  was  a  pretty 
sight,  very  noisy  and  warlike. 

The  Government  paper  contained  an  announce- 
ment, which  is  presented  with  the  Chinese  and  Eng- 
lish words  side  by  side. 

We  learned  that  a  tramp  steamer  would  shortly 
leave  for  Siam  by  direct  route.  By  taking  her  we 
would  avoid  doubling  on  our  tracks  in  a  voyage  to 
Singapore  and  return.  We  resolved  to  take  advan- 
tage of  this  chance,  although  the  steamer  was  not  a 
passenger-carrier  and  did  not  attract  us.  When  we 
informed  Sir  John  Hennessey  of  our  intention  he 
said  that  he  proposed  to  give  two  State  banquets  in 
honour  of  the  King,  at  which  His  Majesty  would 
meet  the  chief  British  and  foreign  naval  commanders, 
the  British  officers  commanding  the  garrison,  the 
Consular  Corps,  and  prominent  citizens.  To  facil- 
itate our  necessarily  early  departure  he  promised  to 
give  them  at  once  and  in  quick  succession. 

With  those  who  promptly  called  upon  the  King 
was  the  American  Consul,  Colonel  John  S.  Mosby, 
the  Confederate  guerilla,  who  a  few  years  before, 
in  the  Civil  War,  had  harassed  the  Federal  forces 
around  Washington  and  greatly  disturbed  the  peace 
of  President  Lincoln.  He  had  taken  at  a  bound  the 
"  bloody  chasm  "  between  North  and  South,  and  by 
the  kindly  act  of  President  Grant  he  had  received 
this  Federal  office,  and  was  now  as  loyal  to  the  Flag 
as  any  Union  veteran. 

Mr.  Chetar,  a  rich  merchant,  gave  a  luncheon 
party,  or  tiffin,  in  honour  of  the  King,  at  Kowloon, 
on  the  mainland  opposite  to  the  city.  Men  of  all 
nationalities  were  there,  —  the  men  drawn  to  this 


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WITH    A    KING  107 

great  free  port  by  commerce,  as  fish  are  attracted  to 
a  net  by  a  torchlight:  English  free  traders,  Amer- 
ican protectionists,  large-framed  and  clever-looking 
Chinamen,  Portuguese  from  Macao,  Parsees  from 
Bombay,  Frenchmen  in  exile  from  the  Parisian  Jeru- 
salem, and  Japanese  getting  into  Western  ways. 

In  the  first  toast,  after  tiffin,  "  To  the  Queen !  " 
we  saw  the  impassioned  loyalty  of  the  British  colo- 
nists to  their  Queen,  the  centripetal  power  which 
makes  the  British  Crown,  with  its  setting  of  colonial 
diamonds,  the  central  figure  of  the  world.  The 
Governor  then  gave  a  toast  to  the  King.  He  de- 
clared that  the  British  power  protected  rather  than 
injured  or  absorbed  well-regulated  States;  there 
had  been  trifling  incidents  in  the  relations  of  her 
Majesty's  kingdom  with  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in 
past  years,  such  as  the  killing  of  Captain  Cook  by 
his  Majesty's  predecessor,  on  one  of  his  islands,  and 
a  British  captain  had  once  captured  the  group  and 
deposed  the  king  in  the  name  of  the  British  Queen; 
but  he  had  quickly  restored  it,  and  the  British  govern- 
ment was  the  first  to  propose  that  the  Great  Powers 
should  recognise  and  protect  the  independence  of 
that  kingdom,  for  it  was  for  the  interests  of  com- 
merce that  it  should  be  free  from  any  foreign  control. 

The  King  replied  by  thanking  the  Governor,  who, 
in  the  name  of  the  Queen,  had  tendered  to  him  such 
gracious  hospitality.  He  said  that  he  did  not  make 
speeches,  but  that  there  was  with  him  a  Minister 
who  had  been  commissioned  to  speak  for  him.  Upon 
this  his  Minister  said  that  the  King  and  his  suite 
recalled  a  day  in  the  year  1842,  when  a  British 
sloop-of-war,  the  "  Carysfort,"  seized  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  and  annexed  them  to  the  British  possessions. 


108       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

For  three  months  the  king  and  his  suite  had  been 
British  subjects,  but  were  extremely  disloyal.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  the  British  admiral  voluntarily 
restored  the  islands  to  the  native  sovereign.  The 
British  had  originally  interfered  with  the  islands  by 
directing  Captain  Cook  to  "discover"  them;  but 
he  had  exceeded  his  instructions,  for  after  he  had 
discovered  them  he  permitted  the  natives  to  worship 
himself  as  a  long-lost  god,  by  means  of  which  he 
had  secured  pigs,  chickens,  and  vegetables.  But  dis- 
putes had  arisen,  and  the  native  King,  in  order  to 
test  his  divinity,  had  stricken  him  with  a  club,  and 
the  experiment  was  fatal.  This  was  therefore  a 
unique  case  of  a  monarch  without  breeches  commit- 
ting a  breach  of  international  law ;  it  was  a  serious 
question  and  had  never  been  decided  by  the  publi- 
cists. Captain  Cook  had  personified  a  god,  and  had 
obtained  pigs  and  chickens  by  doing  so.  By  the  law 
of  England  it  was  a  criminal  offence  for  one  person 
to  personify  another  for  gain,  but  in  the  vast  litera- 
ture of  the  law,  from  the  Roman  Pandects  down, 
there  was  not  a  single  instance  of  a  case  where  a 
man  had  been  charged  with  falsely  personifying  a 
god,  as  Captain  Cook  had  done.  The  British  gov- 
ernment, in  spite  of  the  death  of  the  great  navigator, 
had  been  generous,  and  refused  to  make  war  on  the 
early  kings  of  Hawaii;  the  relations  of  the  two 
countries  had  been  friendly.  In  1810  the  celebrated 
King  Kamehameha  employed  a  British  sailor,  named 
Campbell,  to  aid  him  in  shipbuilding.  The  sailor 
told  the  King  about  George  III,  his  own  sovereign. 
The  King  asked  if  George  III  ever  went  to  war. 
Campbell  replied  that  he  did.  "  Tell  him,"  said  the 
King,  "  as  soon  as  you  reach  home,  that  if  he  gets 


WITH    A    KING  109 

into  any  more  wars  I  will  go  over  and  help  him." 
Now,  two  years  after  this  kind  and  kingly  offer  w^s 
made,  George  III  went  to  war  with  the  American 
nation.  But  not  a  single  historian,  either  English 
or  American,  has  alluded  to  this  neglect  of  an  offer 
which  might  have  enabled  the  British  to  destroy 
the  American  navy.  The  King  was  now  about  to 
visit  some  of  the  British  colonies,  and  he  hoped  to 
meet  some  of  the  statesmen  who  had  made  British 
rule  in  distant  lands  wise  and  safe. 

After  this  luncheon  the  party  returned  to  Hong- 
kong, where,  in  the  Government  House,  the  King 
received  the  calls  of  a  number  of  Chinese  merchants 
who  traded  with  the  people  of  his  islands.  Many 
thousands  of  coolies  had  emigrated  from  this  place, 
to  serve  as  labourers  on  the  sugar  plantations,  and 
although  they  were  of  the  lowest  class  in  China  a 
number  of  them  had  acquired  wealth  in  Hawaii  and 
had  not  been  treated  unjustly.  These  merchants 
told  the  King  that  their  countrymen  in  his  kingdom 
were  entirely  loyal  to  his  government. 

During  our  brief  visit  we  saw  the  attractive  feat- 
ures of  the  place.  It  is  located,  however,  behind  a 
mountain,  so  that  it  is  cut  off  from  the  cooling 
winds. 

At  the  two  grand  State  banquets  which  swiftly 
followed  each  other,  the  dishes,  the  service,  and  the 
wines  were  such  as  are  found  on  an  English  table 
in  London;  but  coolies  patiently  pulled  the  punkas 
which  stirred  the  lifeless  air  in  which,  with  the  heavy 
food,  one  becomes  drowsy.  There  were  present 
admirals,  generals,  noted  citizens,  and  fine-looking 
Chinamen,  who  did  not  show  the  "  childhood " 
which    De    Quincey    declared    was    their    condition. 


110      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

This  port  was  the  feeding-ground  of  the  commer- 
cial ducks  of  the  trading  nations;  migrating  here 
for  profit,  as  the  northern  birds  fly  to  the  tropics 
for  food.  Not  one  of  these  guests,  excepting  the 
Chinese,  had  a  "  home "  here,  but  although  these 
men  came  and  left,  and  were  succeeded  by  others 
of  their  kind,  there  remained  enduring  and  solid  the 
British  power,  which  maintained  law  and  order  and 
made  it  the  largest  free  port  of  the  world  excepting 
London. 

I  must  preserve  in  this  memoir  an  incident  of  the 
last  banquet.  I  pray  that  the  King's  ghost  will  not 
vex  me  for  relating  it.  The  numerous  receptions 
and  late  hours  had  deprived  the  King  of  sleep.  His 
eyelids  drooped,  and  soon  after  we  were  seated  I 
noticed  his  hand  idly  held  his  fork,  and  his  anointed 
head  slightly  nodded.  The  banquet,  like  all  royal 
banquets,  was  without  wit  or  hilarity;  a  monoto- 
nous decorum  pervaded  the  chamber.  The  Gov- 
ernor's wife  was  seated  on  the  King's  right,  and  I 
was  seated  next  to  her.  I  feared  a  nasal  explosion 
if  the  King's  doze  should  deepen,  and  devised  sev- 
eral ways  of  preventing  it.  It  was  a  case  of  emer- 
gency. I  whispered  to  the  Governor's  wife  what  my 
fears  were,  and  asked  her  to  aid  in  preventing  a  loss 
of  royal  dignity.  She  hesitated  to  break  through 
the  divinity  which  hedges  kings,  but  she  saw  that 
a  crisis  was  near.  Moving  her  fan  with  dexterity, 
she  hit  the  royal  shoulder  as  if  accidentally,  and 
the  King  opened  his  eyes.  I  said,  in  the  native 
language :  — 

"  Your  Majesty,  naps  are  dangerous." 
He    replied:    "It   is    very    hot;    how    can    I    get 
away  ?  " 


WITH    A    KING  111 

He  glanced  up  and  down  the  long  table  to  see  if 
his  doze  had  been  noticed.  But  the  air  was  hot, 
and  the  food  heavy.  Within  a  few  moments  he 
quickly  dropped  his  fork  again  and  closed  his  eyes. 
The  royal  dignity  was  drifting  on  a  lee  shore  and 
would  soon  be  on  the  rocks,  and  a  Crowned  Head 
would  be  struggling  in  the  breakers.  The  clever 
wife  of  the  Governor  whispered  to  me,  "  Will  any 
special  piece  of  music  waken  him  up?" 

I  replied,  "  Only  our  national  anthem ;  if  that 
does  not  do  it,  we  are  lost." 

She  quietly  called  the  major-domo,  and  in  a  minute 
the  military  band  in  the  balcony  filled  the  air  with 
the  music  of  "  Hawaii  Ponoi."  The  King  woke  up. 
I  advised  him,  afterward,  to  decorate  the  lady  who 
had  thrown  out  a  life-line  which  saved  the  royal 
dignity  from   shipwreck. 

It  is  the  inexorable  rule  of  courts  that  guests  do 
not  leave  a  reception-room  or  table  until  royalty  has 
withdrawn.  I  imagined  the  King  falling  into  a  deep 
slumber  in  his  chair,  and  the  banquet  ended;  the 
guests  waiting  for  him  to  rise ;  the  whisper  "  His 
Majesty  sleeps;"  the  final  weariness  of  the  guests 
until  they  too,  bound  to  their  chairs  by  a  remorse- 
less rule,  fall  asleep  also;  an  admiral  slipping  from 
his  chair,  a  diplomat  in  a  wild  nightmare,  the  walk- 
ing of  a  somnambulist  on  the  edge  of  the  furniture, 
and  the  company  in  general  with  lax  figures  hanging 
on  chairs  and  table,  waiting  for  the  cock's  crowing 
to  rouse  the  sleeping  monarch  and  release  them. 
"  Hawaii  Ponoi "  had  "  saved  our  face,"  as  the 
Chinese  say,  and  we  were  out  of  our  peril,  by  the 
tact  of  a  woman. 

From  the  high  balcony  of  the  Government  House 


112      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

we  looked  down  upon  the  harbour  flecked  with  ships, 
junks,  sampans,  and  steamers,  war  and  mercantile, 
great  fortresses  protecting  this  commerce,  and  within 
the  city  an  Asiatic  population  of  two  hundred  thou- 
sand, of  whom  hardly  three  thousand  were  English- 
men; yet  it  is  the  third  in  importance  of  British 
ports.  Standing  over  it,  one  realised  the  important 
relation  of  this  place,  with  its  solid  British  sov- 
ereignty, to  the  great  unknown  empire  that  is  divided 
from  it  by  only  a  narrow  sea.  It  is  more  than  a 
great  free  port.  It  is  the  visible  and  perpetual  object- 
lesson  to  all  China  of  the  advantage  of  law  and 
order. 

It  stands  for  even  more  than  an  example  of  good 
government.  It  is  the  warm  sun  of  Western  civili- 
sation in  the  Far  East,  the  heat  of  which  will  slowly 
melt  the  edges  of  this  great  Asiatic  glacier.  The 
European  has  not  studied  the  Chinaman  and  knows 
little  about  him.  He  constructs  him  out  of  his 
own  interior  consciousness,  and  deals  with  that  fic- 
tion as  the  real  man,  as  Englishmen  and  Frenchmen 
have  for  three  hundred  years  taken  each  to  be,  — 
not  what  they  really  are,  but  what  each  has  imagined 
the  other  to  be.  Whatever  the  Chinese  are,  they  will 
be  reformed  or  reconstructed  from  within,  and  not 
from  without,  as  the  Japanese  have  reformed  them- 
selves. The  influence  of  Christendom,  sorely  need- 
ing vast  reformation  itself,  will  have  no  more  power 
over  the  masses  of  Chinese  than  a  stream  of  water 
from  a  three-inch  pipe  would  have  in  increasing  the 
volume  of  the  ocean.  The  Chinese,  of  their  own 
accord  and  in  due  time,  will  take  true  Christianity 
in  their  own  way,  through  their  own  people;  least 
of  all  will  they  take  it  from  a  nation  whose  members 


WITH    A    KING  113 

loudly  chant  "  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains " 
in  their  churches,  and  then,  by  law,  exclude  a  Chris- 
tian Chinaman  from  entering  its  domains.  To  the 
fervent  missionary,  preaching  the  vast  benefits  of 
Christianity  to  his  own  nation,  the  thinking  China- 
man replies :  "  When  your  own  nation  follows  the 
teachings  of  Christ  and  does  us  justice,  then  come 
to  us!" 


114      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XIV 

We  Sail  on  the  "  Killarney "  for  Siam  —  The  Irish  Captain 
and  the  German  Valet — Cochin-China  —  The  Captain  Dis- 
turbs the  King  with  Stories  of  Piracy  —  Enter  Gulf  of 
Siam  —  Received  at  Mouth  of  Menan  River  by  Siamese 
Officials  —  Reach  Bangkok  in  the  Royal  Yacht  —  The  Royal 
Barge — Our  Reception  —  Siamese  Attendants  —  "The  Wine 
of  the  Coral  Reef." 

AFTER  four  days  spent  in  royal  receptions, 
tiffins,  and  garden  parties,  irrespective  of  bar- 
racks and  docks,  the  King,  with  parades  and  numer- 
ous salutes,  embarked  on  the  "  Killarney  "  for  Siam. 

When  the  Governor  bade  him  good-bye  at  the 
gangway  he  said  to  me  that  the  bearing  and  conduct 
of  the  King  could  not  be  excelled  by  any  sovereign; 
and  he  only  voiced  the  sentiments  of  the  cosmopoli- 
tan city  of  Hongkong.  The  voluntary  expression  of 
gratitude  by  the  Chinese  merchants  to  the  King  for 
the  justice  and  the  impartial  administration  of  the 
law  in  his  kingdom  was  an  event  of  which  any  king 
might  be  proud. 

The  captain  of  the  "  Killarney  "  was  an  Irishman, 
who  was  astounded  when  his  agent  told  him  that  he 
would  have  a  Crowned  Head  for  a  passenger;  as 
astonished  as  the  Yankee  skipper  whose  sloop  one 
morning  ran  into  a  Methodist  meeting-house,  which 
a  flood  in  the  Connecticut  River  had  detached  from 
its  foundations  and  swept  into  the  river  and  out  into 
the  ocean.  He  cleaned  up  his  cabins,  took  on  board 
fresh  provisions,  and  received  at  the  gangway,  hat  in 
hand,  this  royal  derelict  which  he  had  accidentally 


WITH    A    KING  115 

struck  in  these  remote  seas.  His  cargo  was  mainly 
of  Chinese  provisions  in  numerous  tubs,  and  if  freight 
had  been  paid  on  their  odour  his  voyage  would  have 
been  a  profitable  one  beyond  estimate. 

For  some  days  Robert,  the  valet,  had  most  properly 
discharged  his  duties  and  seemed  to  be  reconciled 
to  his  lowly  lot.  But  the  Governor's  private  secre- 
tary, a  German  of  great  learning,  had  known  his 
relatives  in  Prussia  and  verified  his  claim  to  be  the 

Baron  von  O ,     Before  we  embarked  Robert 

had  indulged  overmuch.  While  the  King  and  suite 
were  standing  on  the  after  deck  of  the  steamer, 
watching  the  smoke  from  the  saluting  guns  of  the 
shipping  and  forts  as  it  floated  away  in  dense  clouds, 
we  heard  contention  below.  As  the  captain  was  his 
own  purser,  steward,  and  executive  officer,  he  had 
assigned  a  berth  to  Robert  which  displeased  him,  for 
the  accommodations  were  small.  Thereupon  Robert 
had  made  some  comments  on  the  captain's  Irish 
origin,  and  the  captain  in  return  had  used  some  pic- 
turesque language  in  regard  to  the  "  damned  Dutch- 
man." This  controversy  interrupted  our  meditations 
over  the  fading  splendours  of  our  farewell  to  Hong- 
kong ;  instead,  therefore,  of  filling  our  breaking  hearts 
with  noble  sentiments,  which  the  occasion  richly 
deserved,  we  turned  to  this  sudden  and  domestic 
disturbance  below.  The  Chamberlain,  who  was  the 
supervisor  of  our  domestic  affairs,  at  once  went  below 
and  interceded  with  the  belligerents.  The  captain 
was  easily  pacified,  but  Robert  was  disposed  to  assert 
his  patrician  privileges.  Whereupon  the  Chamberlain 
declared  that  he  had  shipped  as  valet,  and  as  we  were 
on  the  high  seas  he  was  liable  to  be  placed  in  irons 
and  kept  in  the  hold  for  disobedience.     Robert  had 


116       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

also  a  grievance  against  the  Chamberlain.  It  was  his 
business  to  look  after  the  luggage  of  the  party,  and  in 
doing  so  he  employed  persons  at  various  times  to  aid 
him.  In  the  early  part  of  the  voyage  the  Chamberlain 
had  supplied  him  with  funds  to  compensate  such  men ; 
but  he  had  not  done  so  for  some  time,  because  the 
valet  had  expended  the  cash  in  treating  himself  with 
spirits.  Robert,  therefore,  had  failed  on  several  occa- 
sions to  tip  the  baggage-tenders,  and  had  been  ad- 
dressed by  some  of  them  in  profane  pidgin-English : 
"You  no  top-side  man  —  go  hellee!"  (The  word 
"  top-side  "  is  the  equivalent  of  "  distinguished  "  or 
"celebrated.") 

We  now  cruised  along  the  coast  of  Cochin-China, 
a  place  from  which  came  formerly  a  large  and  most 
ungainly  fowl,  and  in  later  years  became  a  sink-hole 
into  which  the  French  nation  poured  vast  treasures 
in  the  creation  of  a  colony.  We  passed  Saigon,  where 
the  spectacular  French  colony  exhibits  a  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral,  a  garrison  of  soldiers  whose  occu- 
pation is  to  tread  upon  the  toes  of  the  Chinese,  and  a 
trading-post  where  Parisian  perfumes  are  on  sale 
to  a  people  who  prefer  the  smell  of  their  own  mal- 
odorous sauces  and  aromatic  joss-sticks. 

The  Irish  captain  entertained  his  royal  passenger 
with  accounts  of  his  former  voyages  in  these  waters, 
on  several  of  which,  some  years  previously,  he  had 
engaged  in  combat  with  Malay  pirates.  He  recited 
the  story  of  some  devilish  acts  committed  on  the 
captain  of  a  vessel  in  the  waters  we  were  ploughing. 
His  reminiscences  greatly  pleased  the  King  until  he 
remarked :  "  If  the  pirates  knew  your  Majesty  was 
on  board  this  ship,  they  'd  like  to  take  you  and  get 
a  pretty  ransom  for  letting  you  go,"    The  King  was 


WITH    A    KING  117 

disturbed.  He  recalled  the  "  Pautah  "  and  her  arma- 
ments, and  privately  charged  his  suite  with  a  failure 
to  anticipate  this  danger,  and  permitting  him  to  be 
exposed  to  capture.  We  were  on  a  vessel  with  only 
a  Chinese  crew,  which  could  make  no  resistance  to 
any  attack,  and,  though  there  was  remote  danger  of 
it,  it  might  be  made.  The  King  did  not  look  upon 
himself  as  a  knight  seeking  adventures,  but  a  royal 
bee  sucking  only  the  sweets  of  honours  and  experi- 
ence in  the  meadows  of  the  earth ;  and  now  he  found 
himself  on  an  unarmed  vessel  in  waters  more  or  less 
infested  with  freebooters.  His  imagination  exagger- 
ated the  danger,  and  he  declared  that  a  king  should 
travel  only  in  warships.  He  had  the  timidity  of  a 
man  who  is  led  by  his  flatterers  to  believe  that  his 
life  is  more  precious  than  any  common  lives  and  that 
unusual  efforts  for  its  preservation  should  be  taken. 
I  suggested  to  him  that  if  we  should  pass  any  war- 
ship, signals  of  distress  might  be  hoisted,  and  its 
commander  be  asked,  under  the  privileges  of  the 
comity  of  nations,  to  take  him  on  board  and  bear  him 
to  Siam.  The  suite  held  a  private  interview  with  the 
romancing  captain;  after  which  he  greatly  modified 
his  tragic  stories  of  the  sea.  He  now  assured  the 
King  that  he  could  show  his  heels  to  any  pirate  craft 
that  hove  in  sight ;  and  moreover  a  pirate  crew  could 
smell  his  cargo  at  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and  it  was 
not  stuff  which  a  pirate  wanted.  He  said  that  the 
British  gunboats,  like  terriers  chasing  rats,  followed 
up  the  pirates  so  closely  that  few  dared  to  attack 
vessels  in  these  waters. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  leaving  Hongkong,  we 
entered  the  Gulf  of  Siam  and  anchored  at  the  bar 


118      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  the  Menan  River.  Our  kingdom  had  no  treaty 
with  that  of  Siam,  and  therefore  no  diplomatic  rep- 
resentative there,  so  we  expected  no  courtesy  from 
its  government.  We  suspected  that  its  government 
did  not  know  of  the  existence  of  Hawaii,  or,  if  it  did, 
it  placed  it  in  the  schedule  of  "  remote  and  unknown 
lands  "  of  which  even  an  intelligent  Siamese  might 
be  justly  ignorant.  We  had  the  address  of  a  hotel- 
keeper,  and  through  him  his  Majesty  hoped  to  get 
a  distant  glance  at  the  white  elephants,  of  which  we 
had  heard,  and  then  leave  for  Singapore.  We  en- 
gaged a  steam  tug,  which  was  cruising  on  the  bar, 
to  take  our  party  to  Bangkok,  twenty  miles  above. 
As  we  neared  the  customs  office,  a  steam  yacht  rapidly 
approached,  above  which  was  flying  the  royal  stand- 
ard of  Siam.  She  rounded  under  the  tug's  quarter, 
and  the  inquiry  was  made :  "  Is  the  King  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands  on  board  ?  "  When  an  affirmative 
reply  was  given,  the  yacht  came  alongside,  and  five 
officials  in  full  uniform  came  on  board  and  asked 
to  be  presented  to  the  King.  After  the  presentation, 
one  of  them,  who  spoke  English,  said  they  had  been 
commanded  by  the  King  of  Siam  to  receive  his 
Majesty  and  ask  him  to  become  his  guest.  The  royal 
assent  was  of  course  given,  and  we  were  transferred 
to  the  royal  yacht.  The  Siamese  Consul  in  Hong- 
kong had  written  to  his  government  that  the  King  of 
Hawaii  was  the  guest  of  the  British  Queen  in  that 
place  and  intended  to  leave  shortly  in  the  "  Killar- 
ney "  for  Siam.  It  was  therefore  decided  by  the 
Siamese  court  that  the  King,  whoever  he  was,  was 
entitled  to  the  full  measure  of  Siamese  hospitality. 
The  yacht  was  an  English  model,  richly  furnished, 
with  the  yellow  colour  most  prominent.     Upon  the 


WITH    A    KING  119 

open  deck,  under  an  awning,  a  European  luncheon 
was  served.  As  we  passed  up  the  river,  with  forests 
of  tall  cocoanut  palms  on  either  hand,  we  cried  out, 
"  This  is  Hawaii,"  with  the  fervour  of  the  sailor 
who,  after  a  long  voyage,  exclaimed,  "  Home  at  last," 
when  he  saw  a  solitary  grog-house  on  the  beach,  for 
we  were  inveterate  drinkers  of  the  water  of  the 
young  cocoanut,  and  we  hoped  that  the  royal  hos- 
pitality would  cheerfully  discharge  showers  of  nuts 
on  us. 

As  we  passed  the  forts  a  royal  salute  was  fired, 
and  we  had  hardly  dropped  anchor  in  the  river  which 
divides  the  city  when  the  royal  barge  moved  out  from 
the  landing  toward  the  yacht.  It  was  long  and  nar- 
row, with  upturned  prow  and  stern.  Twenty-four 
oarsmen  manned  it,  and  they  kept  time  to  the  shrill 
"  Hoot !  Hoot !  "  of  the  steersman,  by  dipping  their 
paddles  and  raising  them  high  in  the  air.  Its  stem- 
sheets  were  covered  with  a  canopy  ornamented  with 
yellow  silk  and  gold  embroidery,  and  the  royal 
standard  of  Siam  floated  above  it.  We  entered  it, 
and  at  the  landing  carpets  were  laid  from  the  edge 
of  the  water  to  a  street  near  by,  where  a  battalion 
of  troops  was  drawn  up,  with  naked  feet,  and  in 
rather  musty  uniforms.  We  entered  the  royal  car- 
riages, which  were  driven  by  coachmen  dressed  in 
red  and  gold  cloths  lined  with  yellow,  and  covered 
with  unbrushed  silk  hats;  their  legs  and  feet  were 
naked.  An  escort  of  cavalry,  mounted  on  small 
horses  which  resented  discipline,  surrounded  the 
carriages.  We  entered  the  court-yard  of  the  palace 
of  one  of  the  Princes,  which  had  been  assigned  to 
us.  It  was  a  large  building  with  numerous  rooms, 
the  ceilings  of  which  were  high.     The  furniture  was 


120      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

rich,  but  a  mixture  of  English,  Chinese,  Japanese, 
and  Siamese  styles,  besides  articles  made  from  rare 
native  woods.  Around  the  palace  was  a  large  gar- 
den, well  kept,  with  abundance  of  native  plants  and 
flowers.  From  the  windows  of  our  apartments  we 
saw  the  forest  of  Buddhist  temples,  which  numbered 
over  five  hundred,  where  the  people  carry  on  with 
indomitable  indolence  the  chief  industry  of  the  place, 
the  worship  of  Buddha.  The  chewing  of  the  betel- 
nut,  with  the  monotonous  and  everlasting  repetition 
of  the  word  "  Buddha,"  is  a  devotion  suited  to  these 
lazy  people,  who  raise  their  heads  above  the  waters 
of  sin,  according  to  the  Faith,  by  this  interminable 
repetition  of  "Buddha!" 

As  soon  as  we  entered  the  palace,  several  Princes, 
in  which  the  kingdom  is  fertile,  called;  and  we  no- 
ticed that  the  etiquette  was  mainly  European  with 
some  native  modifications.  Several  of  the  Princes 
spoke  the  English  language ;  some  of  them  had  trav- 
elled in  Europe,  but  the  inferiority  of  the  race  in 
comparison  with  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  was  very 
evident.  An  officer  of  the  King's  household  arranged 
an  interview  between  the  Kings  on  the  following 
day,  as  we  were  tired  and  it  was  late. 

Retiring  to  our  apartments,  we  found  that  eight 
body-servants  had  been  assigned  to  the  King,  and 
five  to  each  of  the  suite.  These  were  young  men  of 
good  families,  who  were  honoured  with  such  ap- 
pointment ;  but  they  were  entirely  ignorant  of  foreign 
ways  and  spoke  only  their  own  native  language.  An 
officer  who  spoke  English,  however,  supervised  them 
and  acted  as  interpreter. 

I  found  myself  helpless  in  their  hands.  Their  con- 
ception of  duty  to  the  Minister  of  a  foreign  State  was 


WITH    A    KING  121 

to  anticipate  and  supply  every  want,  but  they  had 
grotesque  notions  of  the  nature  of  his  wants.  When 
I  washed  my  face  they  surrounded  me;  one  held  a 
towel,  another  thrust  soap  at  me,  another  brought 
a  comb  and  brush  before  they  were  needed,  another 
held  my  coat,  still  another  my  trousers  if  I  desired  to 
change  them ;  all  of  them  were  bowing,  standing  in 
my  way,  and  smoking  cigarettes.  I  sat  down  to  enter 
notes  in  my  journal ;  one  of  them  held  the  ink-bottle, 
another  handed  me  a  pen,  another  held  the  blotter, 
and  another  pushed  note-paper  toward  me  with  one 
hand  and  held  envelopes  in  the  other.  My  directions 
and  pantomimes  were  not  understood.  I  opened  my 
trunk ;  immediately  one  took  out  my  diplomatic  uni- 
form, another  my  sword,  another  my  cocked  hat,  and 
they  stood  in  line  holding  them  before  me  and  unable 
to  see  that  I  wished  to  hang  them  up.  I  could  not 
get  rid  of  them ;  they  hounded  me  most  respectfully. 
When  I  retired  late  in  the  evening,  the  squad  of 
five  were  fast  asleep  on  the  sofas  and  chairs  in  my 
chamber,  while  my  clothing,  boots,  and  hats  had 
been  carefully  placed  on  the  bed  itself.  In  the  arms 
of  one  who  gently  slept  was  a  tray  upon  which  was  a 
bottle  of  champagne  and  one  of  whiskey. 

We  all  thirsted  for  the  water  of  the  cocoanut.  I 
drew  a  rude  picture  of  the  cocoanut  palm  on  a  piece 
of  paper,  making  the  fruit  most  prominent,  and 
pointed  to  it.  After  smoking  cigarettes  and  discuss- 
ing the  object  of  the  drawing,  one  of  them  suddenly 
grasped  the  idea.  At  once  they  all  rushed  away. 
Within  half  an  hour  there  was  a  huge  pile  of  cocoa- 
nuts  in  the  palace  yard,  enormous  and  young,  with 
delicate,  pulpy  meat  and  the  most  delicious  water.  I 
informed  the  King,  and  for  the  first  time  on  our  tour 


122      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

we  drank  the  "  wine  of  the  coral  reef  "  as  we  drank 
it  in  the  King's  little  summer  palace  near  his  own 
capital,  on  "  the  green  sward  which  endeth  in  the 
ocean's  blue."  The  valet  managed  to  get  our  numer- 
ous attendants  to  leave  the  chamber,  and  the  King 
sang  in  a  minor  key  a  native  Hawaiian  mele  (song) 
about  the  water,  which  in  the  old  days  was  sacred 
to  the  chiefs  and  the  priests.  In  this  Siamese  Baby- 
lon we,  voluntary  exiles,  sang  a  pathetic  song  of  the 
far  tropical  Jerusalem,  its  forests  of  cocoa  palms,  and 
its  fruit  shells  bursting  with  the  waters  of  life. 


WITH    A    KING  123 


CHAPTER   XV 

Pagodas  —  A  Floating  City  and  an  Amphibious  Population  — 
Darwin  Mistaken  —  Visit  to  the  King  of  Siam  —  The 
King's  Conversation  —  Cats  Disturb  the  Reception  —  Call 
on  Second  King,  and  on  Uncle  of  Siamese  King  —  Dinner 
with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  —  Drowning  of  a 
Queen  and  Child  —  Sacredness  of  the  Royal  Person  —  A 
Costly  Cremation  —  The  Royal  Chapel  —  Visits  from  the 
Siamese  King,  the  Second  King,  Princes,  and  Consular 
Corps  —  The  Royal  Elephants  —  A  Play  in  a  Court  Theatre 
—  Siamese  Dancers  Sing  a  Missionary  Hymn  —  Dinner 
with  the  Siamese  King  —  Conferring  of  Decorations  —  The 
Durien  —  Kings  Say  Good-Bye  —  Buddhist  Rites  to  Pro- 
tect Steamer  —  The  Chinese  in  Siam  —  Siamese  States- 
men do  Not  Understand  Christendom  —  Presents  of  Fruit. 

THE  next  morning  one  of  the  Princes  took  us 
to  one  of  the  pagodas.  The  priests,  with 
shaven  heads,  but  with  scant  clothing,  being  stripped 
for  prayer,  chanted  "  Buddha !  Buddha !  "  The  huge 
image  of  the  god,  with  the  unchangeable  smile  of 
centuries,  patiently  sat  on  the  lotus-flowers  and  lis- 
tened, and  seemed  to  say,  as  we  passed  him,  "  For 
a  thousand  years  they  have  talked  me  to  death;  I 
am  weary;  this  is  not  Nirvana."  Though  this  faith 
is  barnacled  with  superstitions,  it  is  still  a  scaffold- 
ing which  at  least  holds  the  worshippers  above  the 
earth,  and,  like  all  of  the  great  religions,  is  so 
weighty  with  lofty  moral  precepts  that  if  these  were 
realised  in  the  lives  of  their  worshippers  even  Chris- 
tendom would  not  make  haste  to  offer  its  supreme 
code  of  life. 


124       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Many  thousands  of  the  Siamese  are  born,  live,  and 
die  in  the  frail  houses  which  stand  on  light  rafts  near 
the  banks  of  the  Menan  River,  which  divides  the  city. 
The  effect  of  this  life,  and  its  modifications  of  the 
anatomy,  the  hands  and  feet  of  these  aquatic  resi- 
dents, has  not  been  studied  by  the  biologists.  If, 
according  to  Darwin,  the  environment  moulds  and 
shapes  the  physical  faculties  of  all  creatures,  these 
should  finally  become  web-footed,  as  Captain  Young- 
husband  says  the  legs  of  certain  Tartar  tribes  are 
lengthened  by  their  perpetual  riding  in  the  saddle. 
We  did  not,  however,  observe  any  serious  modifica- 
tions of  the  feet,  or  rudimentary  fins  on  their  backs, 
from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  we  were  not 
competent  biologists,  or  that  Darwin  and  his  fol- 
lowers are  fabulous  writers. 

At  four  o'clock  the  next  day,  in  the  State  car- 
riages with  the  nude-legged  drivers,  and  escorted 
by  a  company  of  cavalry,  we  drove  to  the  royal 
palace,  which  was  in  a  park  of  about  ten  acres.  A 
regiment  of  infantry  lined  up  in  the  court-yard. 
From  the  carriage  steps  to  the  palace  entrance  the 
way  was  carpeted  in  red.  On  both  sides  of  the  en- 
trance, members  of  the  royal  household  were  massed 
in  rich,  and  some  of  them  in  rather  grotesque,  uni- 
forms. Close  to  the  door  were  ten  venerable  men 
with  bare  legs,  but  richly  dressed  above,  each  hold- 
ing an  ancient  battle-axe.  Passing  the  entrance, 
the  King  of  Siam,  Souditch  Chow-fa-Chulan  Korn, 
stepped  forward  and  greeted  the  King  of  Hawaii 
in  the  English  language.  Receiving  the  suite,  the 
Siamese  King,  walking  abreast  of  his  Hawaiian 
Majesty,  passed  through  a  number  of  rooms  to  his 
audience-chamber,    a    large    room    richly    furnished 


WITH    A    KING  125 

with  European  carpets,  sofas,  and  chairs.  Upon 
its  walls  were  portraits  of  Siamese  sovereigns,  and 
many  busts  of  foreign  sovereigns  were  on  pedestals. 
The  Siamese  King  hesitated  to  use  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  talked  mainly  through  an  interpreter. 
He  inquired  earnestly  how  the  King  of  Hawaii 
spoke  English  with  fluency;  no  person  of  his  court, 
he  said,  and  many  of  them  had  lived  in  England, 
spoke  with  like  fluency.  "  Did  all  of  the  King's 
subjects  also  speak  English?"  he  asked.  Our  King 
repeated  his  reply  to  like  inquiries  made  in  other 
countries :  that  he  had  learned  the  English  language 
in  his  youth,  and  that  a  large  proportion  of  his  sub- 
jects could  speak  it  also,  for  it  was  taught  in  the 
public  schools. 

The  Siamese  King  had  a  pleasant  face  and  bright, 
black,  intelligent  eyes;  his  manners  were  simple; 
he  was  educated  in  European  literature,  and,  as  an 
amateur,  made  experiments  in  chemistry.  He  had 
also  studied  the  political  science  of  Europe,  but  he 
said  in  a  regretful  tone  that  he  found  it  most  diffi- 
cult to  change  the  inveterate  customs  and  ideas  of 
his  subjects.  They  were  contented  to  remain  with- 
out progress,  and  had  no  desire  to  make  money  be- 
yond their  daily  needs.  He  asked  the  Hawaiian 
King  if  his  people  liked  to  work,  and  if  they  had 
many  industries.  Now,  these  monarchs  ruled  over 
equally  thriftless  and  lazy  people;  but  the  Hawaiian 
King  hesitated  to  tell  the  truth  about  his  own  people. 
He  admitted  that  they  did  not  manufacture  anything, 
but  they  were  known  to  be  good  sailors.  The  Siam- 
ese King  asked  if  his  people  built  large  pagodas, 
such  as  he  had  seen  in  the  city.  As  the  limit  of 
Hawaiian  sacred  architecture  had  been  the  erection 


126      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  heiaus,  or  simple  platforms  of  stone  surrounded 
by  rude  fences,  structures  hardly  beyond  the  capa- 
city of  a  beaver,  the  King  replied  that  foreigners 
had  introduced  new  styles  of  church  architecture. 
The  Siamese  King  asked  what  was  the  old  religion 
of  his  subjects.  Here  again  the  Hawaiian  King 
hesitated  to  say  that  the  religion  of  his  subjects  had 
been  wiped  out,  as  it  would  be  an  admission  that  it 
was  a  useless  affair.  So  he  replied  that  his  govern- 
ment encouraged  the  worship  of  all  religions,  and  he 
did  not  restrict  his  people  in  their  choice  of  worship. 
The  Siamese  King  said  that  this  was  very  good. 

While  the  monarchs  were  seated  and  conversing, 
the  courtiers  with  the  King's  suite  stood  in  most 
respectful  silence.  Suddenly  two  cats,  with  piercing 
wails,  went  at  each  other  on  the  roof  of  a  building 
which  adjoined  the  palace.  In  this  Buddhistic  realm 
they  no  doubt  held  the  reincarnated  souls  of  dead 
Siamese  warriors,  who  had  taken  this  hour  to  settle 
an  ancient  feud.  The  dignity  of  the  royal  reception 
was  disturbed  for  several  minutes  and  until  the  cats 
finished  their  duel. 

The  young  Siamese  King  knew  the  geographical 
arrangehient  of  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  He 
had  been  informed,  he  said,  of  the  future  importance 
of  the  kingdom  of  Hawaii.  He  asked  the  King 
if  he  had  trouble  with  foreigners.  We  afterward 
learned  that  the  two  white  men  in  the  King's  suite, 
instead  of  natives,  suggested  to  him  a  disagreeable 
dominance  of  the  white  race.  He  was  surprised  at 
the  large  stature  of  his  Hawaiian  Majesty  and  asked 
to  what  race  he  belonged.  When  he  was  told  that 
there  was  Malay  blood  in  the  Hawaiians,  he  replied, 
"  The  Siamese  are  partly  Malay ;   we  are  related." 


WITH    A    KING  127 

He  asked  his  Royal  Brother  to  remain  in  the 
country,  to  visit  the  interior;  there  would  be  an 
elephant-hunt  if  he  desired  it.  He  had  never  been 
visited  by  a  brother  sovereign,  and  he  said  he  had 
commanded  his  officials  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  his 
great  guest.  These  offers  of  hospitality  were  de- 
clined, owing  to  the  brevity  of  our  stay,  but  an 
invitation  to  a  royal  banquet  was  accepted.  As  we 
left  the  court-yard  we  looked  upon  the  gloomy  and 
ancient  buildings  which  stood  around  it.  What  was 
the  unwritten  history  of  intrigues,  tragedies,  assas- 
sinations, for  hundreds  of  years,  which  these  walls 
could  tell  if  they  were  phonographs ! 

We  called  immediately  on  the  second  King.  There 
were  formerly  five  official  kings,  who  in  theory  were 
ready  to  supply  any  failure  in  the  succession,  but 
they  were  persistently  "  getting  between  one  another's 
legs  "  and  devising  schemes  for  killing  one  another. 
There  were  now  only  two  kings ;  it  was  the  business 
of  the  second  King  to  assist  nature  in  bringing  the 
life  of  the  ruling  King  to  an  end.  The  present  dual 
system  in  Siani  was  satisfactory,  and  had  not  been 
disturbed  by  any  atrocious  ambition  on  the  part  of 
the  second  King. 

The  second  King  was  a  quiet,  fine-looking  man, 
who  gave  himself  up  to  the  study  of  astronomy  and 
recent  political  history.  He  asked  for  a  history  of 
Hawaii.  He  had  been  reading  Professor  Wallace's 
"  Malay  Archipelago."'  He  said  that  all  of  the  Poly- 
nesians belonged  to  the  Malayans,  and  some  of  them 
were  very  good  people.  The  Siamese  were,  he  said, 
unequal  to  either  the  Chinese  or  Europeans  in  the 
making  of  good  articles ;    they  could  not  use  iron. 

We  now  called  on  the  uncle  of  the  Siamese  King, 


128       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

and  then  returned  to  our  pleasant  quarters,  where 
we  at  once  ordered  more  "  wine  of  the  coral  reef." 

In  the  evening  we  were  taken  in  the  royal  barge, 
with  its  stately  and  rhythmical  uplifting  of  long 
paddles,  down  the  Menan  river  to  the  residence  of 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  The  banquet  was 
served  entirely  in  European  style. 

The  Minister  was  a  man  of  remarkable  intelli- 
gence, with  a  mind  open  to  Western  ideas ;  but  the 
Siamese  guests  lacked  the  quick  perceptions  of  the 
Japanese  and  Chinese. 

Before  entering  the  dining-chamber  servants 
brought  in  trays  filled  with  bracelets  of  jessamine, 
and  these  were  placed  around  the  arms  of  the 
guests.  Scented  bouquets  were  also  placed  in  their 
hands.  This  custom  has  prevailed  among  the 
Hawaiians  from  immemorial  time,  but  although  we 
had  now  travelled  many  thousands  of  miles,  it  was 
not  until  we  approached  the  Malay  peninsula  that 
we  found  it  in  use  elsewhere.  In  regions  where 
flowers  are  perpetual  it  naturally  prevails.  In  the 
colder  latitudes  it  would  be  an  intermittent  practice. 

From  the  balcony  of  the  Minister's  residence  we 
looked  over  the  city  on  the  river,  a  floating  city,  as 
far  as  we  could  see.  Beyond  the  river  were  the 
one-storied  buildings  extending  far  inland,  with  in- 
numerable temple  spires  rising  beyond  them.  One 
of  the  guests  in  a  whisper  pointed  to  the  place 
where  the  late  Queen  of  Siam.  the  favourite  wife 
of  the  King,  had,  with  her  child,  been  drowned  the 
previous  year,  near  the  shore,  by  the  upsetting  of 
her  barge  by  collision.  No  common  person,  of  the 
many  thousands  who  stood  on  the  river  bank,  dared 
to  touch  the  sacred  person  of  her  Majesty,  though 


WITH    A    KING  129 

she  was  struggling  in  the  water  but  a  boat's  length 
from  the  shore.  The  divinity  which  hedges  royalty 
was  not  a  life-preserver,  and  both  she  and  her  child 
were  lost.  The  next  day  we  visited  the  spot  where 
their  bodies  were  cremated.  Upon  it  was  erected  a 
lofty  pagoda  of  precious  sandal-wood.  Within  it 
had  been  placed  the  bodies,  and  the  incense  from  it, 
as  it  burned,  filled  the  city  with  its  fragrance.  The 
cost  of  the  ceremony  of  cremation,  with  that  of  the 
large  quantity  of  sandal-wood,  is  said  to  have  been 
above  half  a  million  dollars. 

We  were  given  the  rare  privilege,  which  had  also 
been  given  to  General  Grant,  to  see  the  interior  of 
the  royal  chapel,  and  the  chambers  in  which  the 
Siamese  King  fasted  and  prayed  before  his  corona- 
tion. In  this  superbly  ornamented  building  stood  a 
lofty  image  of  Buddha  with  jewelled  eyes,  and  on 
a  frame  before  it  were  artificial  flowers  in  festoons 
and  studded  with  diamonds;  but  they  were  dusty, 
for  custom  permitted  them  to  be  cleaned  but  once 
a  year.  Near  this  royal  pagoda  were  six  others,  in 
one  of  which  was  an  allegorical  painting  of  the 
King's  life  from  his  childhood.  In  all  of  them  were 
the  great  statues  of  Buddha,  with  large  and  dark 
lidless  eyes  perpetually  staring  into  vacancy.  When 
we  entered  these  temples  the  Princes  knelt,  clasped 
their  hands,  and  bowed  three  times. 

We  returned  to  our  palace  to  receive  the  return 
call  of  the  Siamese  King.  Following  him  came  the 
second  King,  who  appeared  in  a  palanquin  over 
which  there  was  an  enormous  umbrella  of  red  cloth 
with  gold  embroidery.  He  alighted  about  fifty  feet 
from  the  entrance  to  our  residence.  Etiquette  for- 
bade his  conveyance  to  stop  where  the  first  King  had 

9 


130      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

alighted.  He  therefore  footed  it  the  rest  of  the  way. 
After  he  had  retired,  the  Cabinet  Ministers  called, 
and  after  them  the  Consular  Corps,  of  which  Gen- 
eral Haldeman,  the  American  Consul,  was  a  conspic- 
uous member.  He  rendered  the  King  and  suite 
some  valuable  services  during  their  short  stay. 

The  second  King  asked,  during  his  visit,  when  he 
heard  that  I  was  an  American,  whether  the  people 
of  America  read  much  about  the  Siamese.  I  replied 
that  all  of  the  children  were  taught  in  the  public 
schools  the  geography  of  his  country.  I  did  not 
state  that  which  I  believe  is  true,  that  the  people  of 
America  believe  that  the  principal  product  of  Siam 
is  white  elephants  and  Siamese  Twins,  while  the 
religious  portion  of  the  community  regard  the  in- 
habitants as  "  perishing  heathen."  On  the  other 
hand,  the  second  King  admitted  that  the  Siamese 
believed  the  Americans  to  be  wandering  tribes  and 
outcasts;  a  people  who  did  not  chew  the  betel-nut 
must  be  without  pleasures. 

The  royal  elephants  were  then  brought  to  the  door ; 
they  were  not  white,  but  grey,  and  were  covered  with 
splendid  trappings.  We  mounted  them  by  ladders, 
the  King  riding  on  a  magnificent  animal  exclusively 
used  by  the  King  of  Siam.  Our  Chamberlain,  with 
his  great  weight,  broke  the  ladder  as  he  was  mount- 
ing, and  dangled  in  the  air,  with  a  firm  grip  on  the 
seat,  until  another  ladder  was  brought,  while  the 
elephant  grunted  at  the  mishap  of  a  "  tenderfoot." 

In  the  evening  a  play  was  presented  in  a  small 
theatre  of  one  of  the  Princes;  to  this  only  persons 
of  the  court  were  admitted.  Twelve  girls,  six  of 
them  representing  males,  danced  and  sang  to  Siamese 
music.     They  belonged  to  the  harem  of  the  Prince 


WITH    A    KING  131 

and  were  noted  for  their  beauty  and  shape;  they 
were  not  seen  in  public.  The  play  was  mainly  in 
pantomime ;  closely  fitting  dresses  covered  with 
spangles  showed  their  graceful  figures,  and  the  pos- 
turing was  the  very  poetry  of  motion.  At  times 
they  sang  while  in  the  convolutions  of  the  dance, 
but  their  mouths  were  ugly  cavities  which  the  chew- 
ing of  the  betel-nut  had  blackened.  Suddenly  we 
heard  a  familiar  piece,  one  of  the  old  hymns  of 
Christendom.  In  a  "  pagan  "  theatre  twelve  grace- 
ful followers  of  Buddha  stepped  the  measures  of  a 
Siamese  dance,  while  they  sang  words  which  they 
did  not  understand : 

"  Keep  your  lamps  all  trimmed  and  burning, 
For  the  midnight  bride  is  coming." 

A  Siamese  Prince  who  had  lived  in  England  said 
that  the  music-teacher  of  these  girls  had  heard  this 
hymn  sung  in  India  by  converts  of  the  missionaries, 
and  had  taught  it  to  these  women  of  the  harem. 

The  steamer  "  Bangkok,"  on  which  we  had  taken 
passage  for  Singapore,  was  detained  a  day,  by  order 
of  the  Siamese  King,  so  that  we  might  attend  a 
banquet  in  his  palace. 

We  again  entered  the  court-yard,  the  sides  of 
which  were  lined  with  troops;  over  them  was  the 
weird  light  of  innumerable  torches.  We  walked  over 
the  carpeted  pavements  to  the  entrance,  the  Princes 
accompanying  us,  and  following  was  a  body  of 
candlestick-bearers  with  naked  legs  and  fantastic 
dresses  tinged  with  yellow.  The  Siamese  King  re- 
ceived us  and  led  us  to  the  audience-chamber,  and 
the  band  played  the  Hawaiian  national  anthem,  the 
music  of  which  our  King  had  written  out  the  pre- 


132       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

vious  day,  and  had  played  on  a  piano  to  the  band- 
master. The  Siamese  King,  in  a  soft,  pleasant  voice, 
then  said  he  desired  to  honour  the  King  from  the 
Pacific  islands,  and  placed  on  him  the  insignia  of 
the  "  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Siam;  "  he  then 
turned  to  me  and  to  the  Chamberlain  and  gave  to 
each  of  us  the  insignia  of  Knight  Commander  of 
the  same  Order.  Our  King,  in  return,  conferred  on 
the  Siamese  King  the  Order  of  Kamehameha,  and 
on  the  Princes  the  same  Order,  of  a  lesser  degree, 
the  insignia  of  which  would  be  sent  from  Paris. 

The  heavy  silver  of  the  banqueting-table  was  in- 
wrought with  trees  and  plants  of  gold;  special 
glasses  mounted  with  jewels  stood  before  the  Kings ; 
the  dishes  and  the  service  of  them,  as  well  as  the 
wines,  were  European.  The  Hawaiian  King  asked 
for  typical  Siamese  music  from  the  military  band, 
and  detected  in  it  a  resemblance  to  the  music  of  his 
own  people. 

One  of  the  Princes,  by  whose  side  I  sat,  plied  me 
with  questions  about  Hawaii :  "  Is  your  King  in  the 
hands  of  foreigners?"  —  "Why  does  he  not  bring 
his  own  people  with  him,  instead  of  white  men?  "  — 
"  Does  he  do  what  you  tell  him  to  do?  "  I  suspected 
that  the  court  gossip  assumed  that  the  King  was 
under  some  foreign  protectorate.  Softly  the  little 
skeleton  in  our  closet  rattled  as  the  King  of  Siam 
asked  his  guest,  "How  large  is  your  army?"  The 
reply  spread  a  fog  over  the  subject,  which  was  deftly 
changed. 

Near  the  close  of  the  banquet  the  durien  was 
served.  It  is  the  most  delicious  fruit  of  the  tropics, 
but,  when  opened,  yields  a  most  offensive  odour;  as 
the  delicate  roses  spring  from  the  rottenest  manure. 


WITH    A    KING  133 

Returning  to  the  audience-chamber,  wreaths  of 
jessamine  were  placed  about  our  necks;  those  about 
the  King's  being  arranged  by  the  hands  of  the  Siam- 
ese King.  Some  valuable  presents  were  given  to 
us.  We  visited  the  jewel-room,  full  of  rare  stones. 
When  the  Kings  were  again  seated,  the  plaintive 
music  of  the  native  voices  rose  from  an  invisible 
choir  concealed  by  screens  at  the  end  of  the  great 
chamber.  These  Asiatic  nightingales  were  female 
members  of  the  royal  household,  who  sang  in  a 
minor  key  the  joyless  songs  which  pervade  Asia 
and  Oceanica;  the  expression  of  races  without 
mental  or  moral  freedom.  One  rarely  hears  comic 
songs  among  the  races  which  are  superstitious. 

The  monarchs  bade  each  other  good-bye.  The 
Siamese  King  said  that  his  royal  guest  was  most 
fortunate  in  ruling  a  good  people  who  were  quiet 
while  he  was  absent;  he  wished,  above  all  things, 
to  visit  Europe  and  America,  but  he  was  unable  to 
leave  his  people.  If  he  had  ventured  to  talk  frankly 
he  would  have  said  he  could  not  go  abroad  lest  some 
rival  would  board  his  ship  of  State  and  seize  the 
helm. 

In  the  morning,  photographs  of  the  King  and  suite 
were  taken  by  request  of  the  Siamese  King.  The 
party,  with  the  usual  ceremony,  was  then  driven  to 
the  landing;  the  royal  barge,  with  the  stately  move- 
ments of  its  twenty-four  oars,  brought  them  to  the 
steamer  "  Bangkok,"  and  the  Princes  left  us  at  the 
gangway.  Buddhist  priests,  on  behalf  of  the  Siamese 
owner  of  the  steamer,  passed  a  white  string  around 
her  and  hung  wreaths  of  flowers  in  the  saloon; 
kneeling,  they  clasped  their  hands  in  prayer,  repeat- 
ing the  name  of  Buddha  many  times;   then  they  ate 


134       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

an  enormous  meal  of  rice  and  curry  and  waddled  to 
their  boat.  The  forts  gave  their  salutes;  the  five 
hundred  pagodas  and  the  forests  of  cocoanut  palms 
sank  out  of  sight,  and  we  pointed  for  Singapore. 

In  Siam  the  Chinese  are  the  stronger  race;  they 
have  already  absorbed  the  business  interests  of 
Bangkok  and  comprise  more  than  a  third  of  the 
population.  Nor  are  they  disturbed,  for  they  are 
not  politicians  and  engage  in  no  public  affairs.  They 
gradually  abandon  ancestral  worship,  adhere  to  some 
of  the  forms  of  their  religious  beliefs,  and  are  con- 
tented to  become  permanent  settlers  in  the  country 
because  they  are  prosperous. 

Christendom  is  a  riddle  to  the  Siamese  statesman. 
He  does  not  understand  the  missionary.  He  cannot 
reconcile  the  teachings  of  the  Gospel  with  the  con- 
duct of  the  people  from  whom  he  came.  The  mis- 
sionary preached  a  religion  which  he  declared  had 
created  the  great  and  powerful  nations  of  Christen- 
dom, while  the  traders  and  travellers  who  chiefly 
represented  those  nations  in  these  Far  Eastern  lands 
displayed  vices  which  shocked  the  people.  But  he 
who  attempts  to  explain  to  them  the  consistency  of 
great  virtues  and  great  vices  which  appear  in  indi- 
viduals, communities,  and  nations  to  work  together 
with  harmony,  undertakes  that  which  even  the  subtile 
mind  of  the  Asiatic  cannot  comprehend.  One  of 
these  intelligent  Siamese,  connected  with  the  For- 
eign Office,  said  to  me :  "  Is  it  true  that  the  civilisa- 
tion of  Europe  is  due  to  Christianity?"  I  replied 
that  this  was  a  difficult  question  to  answer,  but  that 
such  was  the  claim  of  the  leaders  of  the  churches. 
"  Then,"  he  inquired,  "  if  Christianity  is  the  cause 
of  European  progress,   is  it  also  the  cause  of  the 


WITH    A    KING  135 

fleets  and  armies  with  which  they  are  ready  to  de- 
stroy one  another?" 

We  were  the  sole  occupants  of  the  saloon  cabins 
of  the  steamer.  From  our  upper  deck  we  looked 
down  on  indolent  Siamese  chewing  the  betel-nut 
with  the  satisfaction  of  goats;  on  Chinese  sitting 
on  clean  mats ;  and  on  Mohammedans,  who  squatted 
about  in  a  listless  way,  until  sunset,  when  they  at 
once  became  vigorous  and  picturesque  in  their  atti- 
tudes of  prayer  and  prostration. 

The  royal  hospitality  of  Siam  had  filled  the 
steamer's  lockers  with  mangosteens,  duriens,  and 
young  cocoanuts,  on  which  we  mainly  fed  till  we 
reached  the  latitude  of  i°  17"  north  of  the  equator. 


136      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Arrival  at  Singapore  —  The  King  Tired  of  Royal  Etiquette  — 
Visits  and  Receives  the  Governor  —  Drive  Over  the  Island 

—  Importance  of  the  Place  —  A  Colossal  Missionary  Station 

—  The  King  and  the  Tiger  —  A  State  Banquet  —  Effect  of 
the  "  Climate  "  on  Englishmen  in  the  Tropics  —  Visit  to 
the  Maharajah  of  Johore  —  His  Grand  Palace  —  The  Sword 
of  State  and  the  Great  Umbrella  —  The  Valet  and  the 
Feathered  Cloak  —  Tiffin  with  the  Maharajah  —  The  Sover- 
eigns Discover  Each  Other's  "Strawberry-Marks"  —  A  State 
Banquet  —  Dreams  of  Residence  in  Marble  Halls  —  Moon- 
light and  Native  Music  —  A  Morning  Scene  —  Farewell  to 
Singapore  —  More  Trouble  for  the  Valet  —  Loss  of  the 
Feather  Cloak  —  Embarkation  for  Calcutta. 

WE  rounded  the  southeastern  point  of  the  Malay 
peninsula,  drew  close  to  the  shore,  passed 
many  islands  covered  with  dense  vegetation,  and 
anchored  off  Singapore,  another  prominent  free  port 
of  Great  Britain.  Fort  Canning  and  some  Russian 
warships  fired  a  royal  salute;  and  an  aide  of  Sir 
Frederick  Weld,  the  colonial  Governor,  with  the 
King's  Consul,  boarded  our  steamer  with  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Governor  asking  the  King  to  become 
his  guest.  But  the  weather  was  hot,  and  the  King 
preferred  the  freedom  and  informality  of  hotel  life. 
The  invitation  to  reside  in  the  Government  House 
was  "  graciously  "  declined.  The  poet  who  dreamed 
that  he  "  dwelt  in  marble  halls  "  was  never  a  king, 
or  the  minister  of  a  king.  It  is  said  in  every  court 
that  "  the  king  does  as  he  pleases,"  but  the  fact  is 
that  he  is  like  a  chained  animal,  which  has  large  free- 
dom within  the  limits  of  his  chain.    The  Grand  Lama 


WITH    A    KING  137 

of  Thibet  has  absolute  power  and  does  as  he  pleases 
within  limits,  but  his  life  of  sacred  splendour  is  a 
chain  which  keeps  him  in  a  narrow  circle  of  perpet- 
ual ceremonies,  and  binds  him  to  many  monotonous 
and  irksome  sittings  upon  a  golden  throne.  Though 
his  legs  become  weary  and  his  back  aches,  he  cannot 
relieve  his  fatigue  by  a  game  of  leap-frog.  Stronger 
than  the  will  of  a  sovereign  is  the  etiquette  which 
traditions  and  customs  make  for  him.  Those  who 
know  the  inner  history  of  courts  know  the  efforts 
of  princes  and  kings  themselves  to  escape  at  times 
from  their  monotonous  environments. 

We  therefore,  in  this  place,  took  lodgings  in  a  hotel, 
where  we  were  entirely  free  from  the  strain  of  cere- 
monies and  attendants.  This  disposition,  however, 
may  have  been  due  to  our  fresh  and  wild  natures, 
which  had  not  been  sufficiently  subdued  by  contact 
with  civilisation. 

The  Governor's  carriage,  however,  took  us  in  the 
afternoon  to  the  Government  House,  where  troops 
in  white  uniforms  and  white  helmets  lined  the  court- 
yard. The  Governor  received  the  King  at  the  en- 
trance and  led  us  up  a  very  wide  stairway,  on  the 
steps  of  which  guards  were  standing  with  muskets, 
and  into  the  drawing-room,  which  was  decorated  with 
flowers.  There  we  met  the  Governor's  wife  and 
daughter.  The  Governor  had  many  years  before 
visited  the  King's  islands  and  studied  their  volcanic 
formation.  With  fine  humour  he  related  an  incident 
of  his  experience  in  the  Hawaiian  Parliament  which 
happened  while  he  listened  to  a  debate.  The  King's 
immediate  predecessor,  Lunalilo,  was  known,  until 
he  reached  the  throne,  as  "  Prince  Bill,"  and  he  was 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Nobles.    Though  he  was 


138       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

a  pure  native  he  spoke  the  EngHsh  language  with 
ease,  and  invariably  used  it  when  tipsy,  as  I  have 
before  said.  He  disliked  the  reigning  King,  and  in 
this  debate  he  shook  his  finger  at  the  palace,  shout- 
ing: "Uneasy  is  the  'bloody'  head  that  wears  a 
crown !  " 

The  heat  in  the  large  reception-room  was  intense, 
for  the  air  about  the  seaport  was  saturated  with 
moisture.  The  perspiration,  owing  to  our  heavy 
uniforms,  streamed  down  within  our  clothing,  and 
the  only  relief  was  in  shortening  the  visit.  We  re- 
turned to  the  hotel,  and  within  an  hour  the  Governor, 
in  a  State  carriage,  returned  our  visit. 

In  the  evening  we  drove  through  the  city,  which  is 
situated  on  an  island,  which,  through  the  wise  policy 
of  Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  the  British  had  bought  with- 
out conquest.  Here  were  a  few  British  and  German 
traders ;  a  large  population  of  Chinese,  who  were  the 
leading  traders,  many  of  them  men  of  great  wealth, 
and  not  distressingly  devoted  to  ancestral  worship; 
here  were  Klings  from  southern  India,  Malays,  Japa- 
nese, Arabs,  Papuans,  Mohammedans,  Hindoos,  and 
Parsees;  Chinese  joss-houses,  Buddhist  temples,  and 
Christian  churches.  But  over  all  these  people  of 
many  races,  over  the  vast  commerce  flowing  into  and 
out  of  this  free  port,  stood  the  British  power,  silent 
and  omnipotent,  itself  the  colossal  missionary  in  the 
Orient,  enforcing  law  and  order  with  its  armaments, 
and  holding  the  millions  of  implacable  haters  of  one 
another's  religions  from  one  another's  throats.  Singa- 
pore is  not  a  missionary  station,  but  it  is  in  fact  the 
most  stupendous  of  missionary  enterprises,  though 
it  appears  to  have  no  god  but  Trade.  Here  the  ideas 
of  Occidental  civilisation  slowly  spread  throughout 


WITH    A    KING  139 

the  many  races  and  tribes  which  meet  in  commerce 
at  these  cross-ways  of  Asia,  of  which  this  port  is 
the  central  point. 

In  the  morning  the  Governor  took  us  in  his  drag 
over  one  of  the  fine  roads  of  the  island,  which  is 
formed  of  many  small  hills,  between  which  are  dense 
jungles  infested  with  tigers.  It  is  said  that  over  three 
hundred  persons  are  killed  by  these  beasts  every  year 
in  this  island.  We  alighted  at  the  waterworks. 
While  looking  over  the  jungle  from  the  embankment, 
the  Governor  pointed  to  a  spot  near  by  and  naively 
said,  "  By  the  way,  there  is  a  beast  of  a  tiger  in  that 
jungle,  but  he  does  n't  attack  white  men."  This  dis- 
crimination in  colour  caught  the  King's  ear.  I  no- 
ticed that  he  was  uneasy,  and  he  soon  suggested  that 
we  should  return.  On  the  homeward  drive  he  closely 
watched  the  jungle.  With  pirates  on  the  sea,  and 
tigers  on  land,  he  was  "  sucking  "  much  experience 
of  the  world. 

The  State  banquet  in  the  evening,  with  its  many 
guests,  its  military  band,  the  white  uniforms  of  the 
Sikh  guards,  the  dead  air  stirred  by  the  punkas,  was 
a  fair  scene  of  British  life  in  the  tropics.  The  men 
looked  tired,  and  the  women  had  lost  their  colour. 
Every  one  longed  for  vacation  days  in  England  and 
the  close  of  colonial  life.  But  at  this  banquet,  and  in 
all  others  which  we  attended  until  we  reached  Europe, 
we  found  the  British  living  on  an  unwholesome  diet, 
because  their  stubborn  habits  and  appetites  refused 
a  change  to  the  diet  which  ages  of  experience  had 
taught  the  natives  of  the  tropics  is  wholesome  and 
healthful.  The  scholars  discuss  the  question  :  "  Can 
the  European  thrive  in  the  tropics?"  In  these  dis- 
cussions I  have  not  yet  seen  any  consideration  given 


140      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

to  the  fact  that  it  turns  largely  on  the  character  of 
food  and  drink.  The  European,  especially  the  Eng- 
lishman, insists  on  eating,  near  the  equator,  the  meats 
which  are  suitable  to  the  cool  temperature  of  Eng- 
land; as  if  the  Eskimo  should  ask  for  whale's  blub- 
ber right  under  the  sun.  The  British,  as  a  rule,  retire 
from  foreign  service  in  the  tropics  with  impaired 
health,  and  charge  it  to  the  climate.  But  wherever 
we  visited  I  inquired  of  the  physicians  the  cause  of 
this  debility,  and  the  reply  without  variation  was, 
the  refusal  of  the  Europeans  to  adopt  the  simple  diet 
of  the  natives,  —  a  diet  of  fruit,  vegetables,  and  fish, 
which  does  not  overload  the  stomach  and  excludes 
the  use  of  alcohol.  The  European  in  the  tropics,  an 
exile,  isolated  in  a  measure,  finds  his  enjoyment  in 
the  heavy  diet  of  his  fatherland,  and  declares  that 
life  is  not  worth  living  if  he  is  fed  on  the  fruits  and 
vegetables  which  the  wealthy  classes  of  the  tropics 
find  most  suitable.  Our  own  country,  Hawaii,  is  an 
experimental  ground  in  the  life  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
in  the  tropics.  The  missionaries,  forced  by  necessity 
into  a  frugal  life,  lived  on  the  diet  of  the  natives  and 
were  never  debilitated  by  the  climate.  The  majority 
of  them  retained  the  energy  of  their  New  England 
inheritance  without  the  least  impairment  due  to  cli- 
mate. But  their  descendants,  under  financial  pros- 
perity, reversed  the  ways  of  plain  living  followed  by 
their  fathers,  and  the  evidence  of  deterioration  is 
becoming  apparent. 

The  Governor  toasted  the  King  at  this  banquet. 
He  said  that  he  had  seen  many  of  the  Polynesian 
races,  and  their  good  nature  and  chivalry  were  con- 
spicuous among  the  Maoris  of  New  Zealand,  whose 
language  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Hawaiians.    He 


The  Maharajah  of  Johore  (i88i). 


WITH    A    KING  141 

related  that  during  a  civil  war  the  powder  of  one  of 
the  native  forces  gave  out,  and  under  a  flag  of  truce 
the  battle  was  suddenly  suspended  while  a  request 
was  sent  to  the  enemy  for  an  immediate  loan  of 
powder,  with  the  promise  to  pay  for  it  whenever  the 
fight  was  ended;  and  with  a  chivalrous  regard  for 
this  misfortune  the  request  was  at  once  granted. 

His  Highness  Sri  Abu  Bakar,  the  Maharajah  of 
Johore,  a  kingdom  under  the  British  protectorate, 
invited  the  King  to  visit  him,  and  we  left  in  his 
steam  yacht,  the  "  Pantie,"  for  his  domain,  distant 
fourteen  miles  from  Singapore,  and  divided  from  it 
by  the  Straits  of  Salat-Jabras.  Breakfast  was  served 
on  the  upper  deck  of  the  yacht,  under  a  broad  awn- 
ing. In  this  equatorial  region  the  cocoanut  palms 
have  their  most  luxurious  growth ;  forests  of  these, 
close  to  the  margin  of  the  sea,  stretched  for  many 
miles,  with  villages  of  native  huts  grouped  on  the 
shore.  A  royal  salute  was  fired  as  we  touched  the 
stone  landing,  from  which  the  ground  rose  in  broad 
terraces  to  the  summit  of  a  hill  on  which  the 
grand  palace  of  the  Maharajah  stood.  The  Sultan's 
brothers,  Turkus  Abdul  Med j  id  and  Abdulla,  re- 
ceived us,  and  led  us  over  the  pier,  upon  which  a 
lofty  and  graceful  bamboo  structure  had  been  raised 
and  covered  with  flowers  and  flags.  The  long  flight 
of  wide  stone  steps  rising  gradually  to  the  istana, 
or  palace,  was  lined  with  carpets ;  on  either  side 
native  troops  were  ranged  in  line.  In  front  of  our 
party  marched  a  body  of  Malays  in  brilliant  native 
costumes,  bearing  long  spears  and  swords,  and  wear- 
ing red  fezzes  on  their  heads.  In  front  of  all,  striding 
alone,  was  the  bearer  of  an  enormous  sword  sheathed 
in   a  gold-mounted   scabbard;    and   directly   behind 


142       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

us  another  bore  an  immense  red  umbrella  of  state, 
trimmed  heavily  with  gold  lace.  At  the  grand  en- 
trance to  the  deivan  or  reception-room  the  Maharajah 
received  us,  taking  the  King's  hand  cordially;  the 
Sikh  guards  presented  arms;  the  courtiers  bowed; 
and  the  Kings  stepped  on  a  dais,  where  they  sat  and 
talked.  The  King's  suite  was  presented  to  the  Maha- 
rajah ;  and  the  principal  Malay  chiefs,  the  high  gov- 
ernment officers,  were  then  presented  to  the  King. 
Outside  of  the  palace,  on  the  wide  lawns,  crowds 
of  natives,  in  their  gay  sarongs,  chewing  betel-nut, 
sat  on  their  heels,  watching  for  a  sight  of  the  foreign 
King  of  their  own  colour. 

From  the  dewan  we  were  led  to  the  palace  itself, 
which  was  a  new  and  magnificent  building  with  a 
frontage  of  three  hundred  feet.  Adjoining  the  re- 
ception-room was  a  large  ball-room.  The  ceilings  of 
both  were  lofty;  and  the  architecture  of  the  whole 
was  a  contrivance  to  avoid  the  use  of  glass,  but  with 
shades  to  exclude  the  hot  air.  The  furniture  of  these 
imposing  rooms  was  chiefly  French,  English,  and 
Japanese,  but  without  that  delicate  arrangement 
which  a  more  highly  civilised  people  than  the  Ma- 
layans usually  make. 

From  the  reception-room  led  broad,  high,  and  airy 
corridors  which  opened  into  many  suites  of  apart- 
ments. Mine  were  three  large  rooms,  twenty  feet 
above  the  ground.  In  the  corner  of  the  sleeping- 
chamber  there  was  a  gilded  spiral  stairway  leading 
to  a  large  bath-room  underneath  it,  with  tiled  floors, 
in  the  centre  of  which  stood  an  enormous  marble 
bath-tub;  each  apartment  had  a  similar  bath-room 
beneath  it.  The  water,  pure  as  crystal,  did  not  flow 
through  faucets,  but  gushed  through  marble  troughs, 


WITH    A    KING  143 

bubbling  and  dashing-  in  the  great  marble  basins,  in 
which  one  could  almost  swim. 

Malay  servants,  in  yellow  livery  and  picturesque 
hats,  stood  at  the  door  of  each  apartment;  the  clap- 
ping of  the  hands  brought  them  to  us,  but  our  com- 
munications were  mainly  in  pantomime.  Here,  as 
everywhere  in  the  Orient,  if  the  servant  does  not 
understand  you,  he  is  confident  that  you  wish  brandy 
and  soda,  or  champagne,  and  promptly  brings  it. 

The  King  was  now  visiting  the  monarch  of  a 
kindred  race,  and  he  once  more  tried  to  get  an  "  ef- 
fect "  through  the  Feather  Cloak.  He  did  not  consult 
the  suite,  but  again  warned  his  titled  valet  against  the 
sin  of  intemperance  and  directed  him  to  carry  the 
cloak  with  dignity  and  sobriety.  As  we  stepped  from 
the  Maharajah's  yacht  the  valet  appeared  in  evening 
dress,  white  gloves,  a  white  helmet,  and  the  gorgeous 
cloak  over  his  shoulders.  The  display  was  effective, 
but  the  Maharajah's  officers  at  once  assumed  that  he 
was  a  person  of  high  rank  and  placed  him  in  the  royal 
procession.  The  King  had  forgotten  this  probable 
complication  and  directed  the  valet  to  follow  in  the 
rear.  He  fell  back  some  distance,  but  the  Malay 
attendants,  believing  still  that  he  held  some  superior 
position,  made  up  a  procession  of  minor  officials,  and 
the  valet  stalked  in  the  centre  of  them  up  to  the  grand 
reception-room;  in  the  mean  time  the  luggage  with 
which  he  was  charged  remained  on  the  yacht. 

The  bright  and  unique  cloak  caught  the  eye  of  the 
Maharajah;  he  asked  to  have  it  brought  to  him. 
After  admiring  it,  he  inquired  about  the  rank  of 
persons  entitled  to  wear  it  in  the  King's  country. 
The  King  replied,  "  Only  the  highest  chiefs."  The 
Maharajah  then  asked  the  rank  of  the  white  man  who 


144       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

now  wore  it.  The  King  was  again  in  trouble,  but, 
after  hesitating  a  moment,  repHed  that  on  certain 
State  occasions  a  servant  carried  it  for  his  chief.  The 
Maharajah  asked  the  King  if  his  people  did  not  make 
beautiful  articles,  and  were  they  as  skilled  as  the 
Japanese.  The  King  modestly  said  that  his  subjects 
were  an  agricultural  people,  who  had  made  little 
progress  in  the  arts. 

At  tiffin  the  Maharajah,  placing  the  King  on  his 
right  and  myself  on  his  left,  asked  about  the  origin  of 
the  Polynesians;  he  had  heard  that  they  were  origi- 
nally Malays,  and  if  so  there  should  be  words  com- 
mon to  both  languages.  We  thereupon  entered  into 
comparisons,  which  were  striking,  such  as  Malayan, 
api,  for  fire;  in  Hawaiian,  ahi:  Malayan,  muta,  for 
eye;  in  Hawaiian,  muka:  Malayan,  alima,  for  five; 
in  Hawaiian,  lima:  in  Malayan,  diia,  for  two;  in 
Hawaiian,  alua.  The  similarity  of  many  words  sug- 
gests a  common  origin  for  the  two  peoples;  but  the 
ethnologists  hold  that  this  is  not  conclusive,  —  that 
it  may  be  only  an  indication  of  mutual  commerce  in 
past  ages. 

These  ethnological  "  strawberry  marks "  placed 
the  rulers  on  good  terms  with  each  other,  and  they 
were  not  unwilling  to  assume  that  this  meeting  was 
one  of  "  long-lost  brothers." 

During  the  afternoon  we  were  driven  about  the 
superb  grounds  of  the  palace,  through  groves  of  the 
many-rooted  banyan-trees,  the  holy  waringham,  long 
rows  of  the  brilliant  Victoria  rcgia,  past  innumer- 
able palms  and  ferns,  and  through  a  profusion  of 
orchids. 

In  the  evening  the  Maharajah's  yacht  returned 
from  Singapore  with  about  seventy  guests  invited  to 


WITH    A    KING  145 

a  State  banquet,  —  consuls,  British  colonial  officers, 
merchants,  and  naval  commanders. 

The  Maharajah  wore  a  small  fez  cap,  on  the  front 
of  which  was  a  crescent  in  diamonds,  and  an  enor- 
mous diamond  star  in  its  dip;  he  also  wore  a  collar 
of  diamonds,  and  diamond  bracelets,  while  his  breast 
was  covered  with  jewelled  Orders;  even  the  buttons 
of  his  coat  were  large  diamonds,  and  the  handle  and 
scabbard  of  his  sword  were  jewelled  with  precious 
stones.  My  own  humble  diplomatic  sword  was  a 
poor  relation  beside  his  magnificent  weapon. 

The  table  service  was  heavy  gold-plated  ware. 
Arabic  characters  were  engraved  on  each  piece ;  their 
cost  was  surely  enormous. 

Although  there  was  a  large  variety  of  European 
wines,  and  the  Europeans  drank  freely,  the  Maha- 
rajah, who  was  a  Mohammedan,  did  not  taste  them. 
When  he  drank  to  the  health  of  his  royal  guest  he 
merely  touched  the  glass  with  his  lips.  Our  King 
said  to  him,  "  You  do  not  drink  wine?  "  He  replied, 
"  No,  our  faith  forbids ;  it  is  bad  to  drink ;  the  Euro- 
peans do  not  live  long  in  our  climate  when  they  drink 
too  much."  Then  he  added,  "  You  must  eat  our 
curry;  we  Malays  are  fond  of  it."  It  was  brought 
in  golden  bowls  filled  with  rice,  followed  by  more 
golden  bowls  with  varieties  of  meats  and  vegetables, 
and  thirty  different  condiments  served  in  lacquer 
dishes. 

The  Maharajah,  at  the  close  of  the  banquet,  rose. 
He  spoke  the  English  language  with  hesitation,  and 
occasionally  used  an  interpreter.  Turning  to  the 
King,  he  took  his  hand  and  said  he  would  propose  his 
health ;  he  was  glad  to  welcome  a  King  from  a  land 
very  distant,  but  one  who  ruled  over  the  same  kind 


146       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

of  people  as  those  ruled  by  himself;  he  was  sorry 
that  he  did  not  speak  the  English  language  as  well 
as  the  King  of  Hawaii ;  and  he  hoped  that  his  royal 
guest  would  reach  his  home  in  safety  and  not  forget 
the  little  kingdom  of  Johore.  The  royal  Hawaiian 
replied  that  he  had  now  discovered  that  his  own 
people  were  Asiatics,  and  he  hoped  the  Asiatic  nations 
would  become  powerful  and  stand  by  one  another. 

We  were  then  led  to  the  wide  marble  balcony  of 
the  palace,  which  overlooked  the  gardens,  and  the 
dark  forests  of  the  mainland.  Over  all  shone  a  bright 
moonlight.  A  band  of  Malay  voices  concealed  in  the 
dark  foliage  sang  their  plaintive  songs;  behind  us 
was  the  vast  marble  palace  with  its  great  corridors 
filled  with  light.  The  Sikh  sentries  in  white  turbans 
paced  the  avenues,  with  their  polished  gun-barrels 
flashing  in  the  moonlight  through  the  dense  foliage. 
The  scene  was  that  which  rose  before  the  poet,  before 
alluded  to,  who  had  visions  of  his  residence  in  halls 
of  marble. 

The  two  sovereigns,  after  repeating  some  of  the 
legends  of  what  they  believed  were  their  common 
inheritance,  became  sleepy,  and  retired  to  sleep  in 
these  marble  halls,  but  not  to  dream  about  them.  The 
guests  disappeared  in  the  splendid  chambers.  Guards 
with  drawn  swords  moved  to  and  fro  before  the 
monarchs'  chambers,  —  Malay  angels  guarding  the 
royal  sleepers. 

At  daybreak  the  King  called  his  suite  to  the  grand 
balcony  in  front  of  his  apartments.  Dressed  only  in 
pajamas,  we  rested  on  soft  rugs  after  bathing  in  the 
immense  marble  fountains.  Malay  servants,  who 
much  resembled  our  own  people,  served  coffee  and 
mangosteens.     As  the  sun  rose,  the  air  was  fresh, 


WITH    A    KING  147 

soft,  and  tranquil;  birds  of  rich  plumage  flitted 
through  the  dense  foliage  of  the  banyan-trees;  and 
beyond  the  straits  were  the  vast  forests  of  the 
feathery-headed  cocoanut  palms.  This  grand  palace, 
of  all  we  visited  in  the  Orient,  was  the  most  conspic- 
uous in  its  combinations  of  art  and  nature,  for  it  stood 
alone  upon  high  ground,  with  wide  views  of  water, 
forests,  and  gardens. 

The  Maharajah  joined  us  at  tiffin,  and  after  the 
ceremony  of  parting  in  the  audience-hall  he  led  the 
King,  through  lines  of  native  troops,  to  the  pier, 
which  was  still  dressed  in  vines  and  flowers.  He  bade 
his  royal  guests  good-bye,  and  his  yacht  carried  us 
over  to  the  main  island  of  Singapore.  The  Maha- 
rajah's drag  took  us  from  the  landing  across  the 
island,  over  fine  roads  and  past  many  jungles,  upon 
which  the  King  kept  a  close  eye  lest  some  epicurean 
tiger,  with  a  depraved  taste  for  dark  meat,  should 
bound  out  of  the  woods  and  swallow  the  Hawaiian 
dynasty. 

On  reaching  Singapore  we  called  at  the  Govern- 
ment House  and  took  leave  of  the  Governor. 

While  we  were  thus  crossing  the  island  in  the 
drag,  Robert  had  been  directed  to  return  with  the 
Feather  Cloak  in  the  yacht.  Left  for  a  time  out  of 
his  master's  sight,  he  had  resolved  to  magnify  his 
office.  On  the  yacht  were  several  Europeans,  who 
told  us  that  he  had  greatly  impressed  the  lower 
Malay  officials  and  servants  by  occasionally  lifting 
up  the  cloak  and  bowing  to  it,  as  if  it  were  a  sacred 
emblem.  A  special  guard  on  the  yacht  was  de- 
tailed to  protect  this  precious  treasure.  Moreover 
he  informed  several  of  the  European  guests  who 
were    on    the   yacht    that    he    was    the    Baron   von 


148       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

O .     He  despised  the  Mohammedan  precepts 

regarding  abstinence,  and  by  the  time  he  reached 
the  city  he  forgot  the  cloak  and  returned  to  the 
hotel  without  it.  When  the  King  discovered  the 
loss  he  directed  search  to  be  made,  and  it  was 
found  on  the  yacht,  strictly  guarded  by  two  Malay 
officers  of  the  Maharajah's  household.  Robert  was 
again  deposed  from  his  high  office. 

We  now  embarked  on  the  steamship  "  Mecca " 
for  Calcutta  and  way  ports.  Sir  Frederick  Weld, 
with  his  staff,  and  many  of  the  Consular  Corps, 
attended  the  King  to  the  wharf,  and  he  left  with 
the  usual  royal  salutes  from  warships  and  forts. 
The  Maharajah  of  Johore  had  kindly  supplied  the 
steamer  with  an  abundance  of  tropical  fruits,  and 
by  his  orders  the  cabins  were  decorated  with  wreaths 
of  flowers. 


WITH    A    KING  149 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Brief  Visit  to  Malacca  —  Reception  at  Penang  by  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor —  A  Rich  Chinaman's  House  —  A  Nautch 
Dancer's  Performance  —  Hindu  Caste  —  Maulmain  —  Ele- 
phants in  the  Lumber  Yards  —  Animal  Intelligence  —  A  Bur- 
mese Wedding  —  Rangoon — Buddhist  Pagodas  —  Women's 
Emancipation  in  Burmah  —  The  Queen's  Birthday  in  the 
East  —  The  British  Power  Everywhere  —  A  Mohammedan  at 
His  Prayers —  Entering  the  Hooghly  —  "  Ganga  !  Ganga  !  " 

STEAMING  toward  Malacca,  Mount  Ophir,  which 
the  legends  say  was  the  source  of  King  Solo- 
mon's riches,  loomed  up  on  the  right,  its  flanks  cov- 
ered, as  we  approached  it,  with  the  glory  of  an 
Eastern  sky. 

The  British  Resident  in  Malacca  boarded  the 
steamer,  and  during  her  brief  stay  took  us  to  the 
old  cathedral,  built  by  the  Portuguese  in  1520,  taken 
from  them  by  the  Dutch,  and  again  taken  from  the 
Dutch  by  the  English,  but  now  abandoned.  In  a 
large  school  building  was  a  mixture  of  Malay, 
Chinese,  Indian,  and  European  children;  all  of 
them  learning  to  read  and  write  the  English  lan- 
guage; this  virile  seed  of  civilisation  which  the 
British  Power  is  scattering  widely  in  the  Orient. 
It  is  the  knowledge  of  this  language  which,  more 
than  any  religious  propaganda,  acts  like  poison  on 
the  superstitions  of  the  races. 

At  Penang  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Colonel 
McNair,  received  us,  drove  us  to  the  Government 
House    for   tiffin,    and,    on    returning   through    the 


150       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

avenues  of  palms  and  Victoria  regias,  called  at  the 
residence  of  a  wealthy  Chinaman,  whose  house,  of 
great  size,  was  so  arranged  without  glass,  that,  with 
the  turning  of  lightly  made  shutters,  admirably  ad- 
justed, the  walls  seemed  to  disappear,  and  it  became 
a  huge  birdcage  through  which  the  air  passed  with- 
out hindrance.  It  was  fitted  with  rich  furniture, 
and  filled  with  odours  of  precious  woods. 

Into  this  settlement  the  Chinese  in  vast  numbers 
have  drifted.  They  make  themselves  the  masters 
of  trade,  and  their  ties  of  ancestral  worship,  which 
once  bound  them  closely  to  China,  gradually  rot 
with  age.  They  are  evidently  the  coming  race  of 
this  part  of  Asia.  They  need  no  national  flag  or 
gunboats  for  protection,  for  above  them  is  British 
law  and  order,  and  the  fighting  tribes  keep  the 
peace.  Even  the  British  merchant  cannot  compete 
with  them,  but  finds  his  profit  in  the  carrying-trade 
and  in  wholesale  commerce.  There  is  no  more 
piracy  on  the  high  seas;  British  warships  patrol 
them,  and  with  blood  and  iron,  if  need  be,  carry 
the  gospel  of  order  wherever  a  vessel  can  float.  It 
is  said  that  if  a  savage  pulls  a  Briton's  nose  a  gun- 
boat appears  the  next  day  and  avenges  the  insult. 

After  a  delay  of  six  hours  our  course  was  laid 
for  Maulmain.  Among  the  forward  passengers  was 
a  nautch-dancer  with  her  company.  She  sent  a  note 
to  the  King  by  one  of  the  stewards,  asking  for  the 
honour  of  dancing  before  him,  A  part  of  this  note 
reads :  — 

"  With  due  respect  and  submission  I  have  the  honour 
most  respectfully  to  state  that  it  is  my  good  fortune, 
and  by  the  mutual  Providence  of  the  Almighty,  your 


WITH    A    KING  151 

arrival  took  place  here.  I  therefore  most  respectfully 
do  offer  myself  as  a  candidate  to  show  my  dance,  under 
your  Honour." 

"  Emamsu  Jahu, 

*' Dancer  Lady." 

Her  attendants  arranged  a  floor  by  covering  the 
main  hatch  with  embroidered  carpets;  lanterns  were 
hung  in  the  rigging,  and  a  screen  of  flags  was  drawn 
behind  the  hatch.  The  "  dancer  lady  "  stepped  for- 
ward, dressed  in  a  trailing  underskirt,  over  which 
was  a  jacket  of  spangled  cloth,  with  scarfs  crossing 
her  breast  and  silver  bells  encircling  her  bare  feet. 
Raising  her  arms,  she  moved  only  her  elbows  and 
fingers;  stepping  forward,  she  began  to  posture 
with  the  jingling  of  the  bells  and  her  body  undu- 
lated as  in  the  Hawaiian  dances.  Her  orchestra  of 
four  bare-legged  Hindus  beat  a  drum  with  the  fore- 
finger and  tapped  a  one-stringed  violin.  She  then 
prostrated  herself  before  the  "  Sultan,"  as  she  called 
the  King,  and  concluded  with  that  rite  which  is  com- 
mon to  all  nations,  of  "  passing  around  the  hat." 

Looking  from  the  saloon  deck  down  upon  the 
forward  passengers,  one  saw  the  rigid  observance 
of  caste  among  the  Hindus ;  the  forms  of  a  stag- 
nant civilisation.  One  people  of  one  caste  ate  noth- 
ing which  was  cooked  on  the  steamer,  and  refused 
the  excellent  water  provided  for  the  passengers. 
Rice  cakes  for  another  caste,  prepared  on  shore, 
are  carefully  kept  from  profane  touch,  and  water  is 
brought  in  jars,  so  that  it  may  not  be  polluted. 
One  captain  said  that  even  the  Hindu  monkeys  ob- 
served caste  and  drank  only  from  certain  vessels. 
Monkeys,  he  said,   were  useful  labourers;    he  had 


152      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

seen  them  gathering  cocoanuts  from  lofty  trees  in- 
accessible to  man;  the  master  held  the  end  of  a 
long  cord,  the  other  end  of  which  was  fastened 
about  the  monkey's  waist;  when  he  reached  the 
bunches  of  nuts  he  was  guided  in  his  selection  by 
the  pulls  of  the  string. 

As  we  steamed  into  the  harbour  of  Maulmain,  for 
a  brief  stay,  we  noticed  sawmills  on  the  river  bank, 
and  elephants  moving  the  lumber.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  to  verify  the  stories  of  our  childhood's 
geographies;  did  the  elephant  do  intelligent  work? 
We  asked  the  captain  to  send  no  notice  of  the  King's 
presence  to  the  British  magistrate,  so  that  our  brief 
time  might  be  given  to  the  study  of  animal  intelli- 
gence. We  quietly  landed  on  the  river  bank  and  went 
to  the  sawmills,  where  in  a  most  unregal  fashion  we 
sat  on  a  pile  of  lumber  and  watched  the  elephants  in 
the  lumber-yard.  Upon  a  working  elephant  is  a  saddle 
occupied  by  his  keeper  and  driver,  who  handles  a 
short  iron  prod.  The  traces  of  the  harness  are  heavy 
chains;  with  them  the  elephant  draws  a  log  to  the 
platform  of  the  mill ;  he  then  turns,  places  his  tusks 
under  one  end  of  it,  and  raises  it  to  the  platform; 
turning  to  the  other  end,  he  lifts  it  to  its  place, 
using  his  trunk  to  prevent  its  slipping.  If  the  log 
is  not  in  a  correct  position,  he  apparently  notes  the 
error,  stoops  down,  places  his  head  or  tusks  against 
it,  and  moves  it  into  its  proper  place.  After  the  log 
is  sawn,  he  takes  up  the  slabs  with  his  tusks,  and, 
holding  them  down  with  his  trunk  as  if  it  were  a 
finger,  carries  them  to  a  rubbish-heap.  The  sawn 
lumber  or  boards  he  places  side  by  side  until  he  has 
a  load ;  under  it  he  places  his  tusks  and  takes  it  to 
a  pile,  where  he  deposits  it,  and  squares  it  into  place. 


WITH    A    KING  153 

He  apparently  runs  his  eye  over  it,  and  if  it  is  not 
straight  he  adjusts  it.  This  execution  of  his  task 
apparently  shows  extraordinary  intelligence.  But 
he  is  always  under  the  direction  of  his  driver,  who 
sits  behind  his  ears  and  freely  uses  his  prod.  The 
action  of  the  driver  may  therefore  be  the  real  source 
of  the  animal's  intelligence. 

In  another  instance,  however,  we  noticed  that  the 
elephant  seemed  to  employ  reason.  One  of  them, 
while  waiting  for  a  job,  was  irritated  by  flies  on  his 
belly  and  legs.  Reaching  out  with  his  trunk,  he  col- 
lected a  number  of  small  pebbles.  These  he  threw 
with  dexterity  at  the  flies.  Again,  taking  a  long 
stick,  he  placed  the  end  of  it  under  his  foot  and  broke 
off  a  portion.  Grasping  the  shorter  part  with  his 
trunk,  as  one  would  hold  a  dagger,  he  scratched  the 
irritated  leg. 

While  driving  through  the  city  of  Maulmain  we 
noticed  a  bridal  reception  of  the  lower  class  in  a  very 
humble  dwelling.  The  mother  of  the  bride  displayed 
an  enormous  brass  ring  worked  through  her  nose  and 
covering  her  chin,  while  silver  rings  encircled  her 
ankles  above  her  bare  feet.  The  fashion  seemed  to 
run  among  the  females  of  using  these  large  and  in- 
convenient ornaments  in  the  noses,  ears,  and  about 
the  ankles.  Our  native  driver  described  the  marriage 
ceremony.  We  halted  for  a  moment  before  the  house 
and  watched  the  wedding  feast. 

The  King  directed  the  driver  to  call  the  bride.  She 
came  forward  modestly,  and  the  guests  followed  her 
to  our  carriage.  The  King  handed  her  an  English 
sovereign.  She  took  it,  looked  at  it  with  surprise, 
bowed  to  the  ground,  and  returned  to  the  house  with 
a  dowry  from  a  king. 


154       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

We  returned  to  the  steamer,  and  now  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  steamer  "  Pemba,"  which  was  about  to 
leave  for  Rangoon  and  Calcutta.  A  Sikh  soldier,  in 
a  white  turban,  brought  a  message  from  Colonel  Duff, 
the  Civil  Commandant  of  the  province,  stating  that 
he  had  heard  of  the  King's  presence  and  wished  to 
pay  him  an  official  visit.  He  arrived  shortly  after- 
ward. The  King  relieved  him  from  embarrassment 
by  stating  that  he  had  for  the  time  assumed  his  in- 
cognito character,  and  he  alone  was  responsible  for 
any  neglect  to  tender  civilities  to  himself. 

After  leaving  Maulmain  the  steamer  anchored  for 
a  few  hours  in  the  Irrawaddy,  at  Rangoon.  The 
British  Commissioner,  Mr.  Barnard,  took  us  ashore 
in  his  launch,  and  offered  to  the  King  the  usual  mili- 
tary reception,  which  he  declined;  but  we  had  tiffin 
in  the  Commandant's  residence.  We  drove  to  the 
Buddhist  pagodas  on  the  rising  ground  above  the 
city;  the  domes  of  the  temples  glittered  in  the  sun- 
light; their  large  number  was  the  evidence  of  the 
thriving  condition  of  Buddhism.  By  the  side  of  these 
temples  are  English  houses,  English  street  signs,  and 
everywhere  the  deep  prints  of  the  British  trail.  In  the 
public  schools  the  English  language  is  taught,  and  the 
Burmese  children,  now  British  subjects,  take  Western 
ideas  and  learn  something  of  the  great  nations. 

Those  who  advocate  the  "emancipation  of  women" 
will  find  in  Burmah  the  most  advanced  thought. 
Here  it  has  reached  giddy  heights,  for  custom  and  law 
decree  that  a  woman  shall  choose  her  own  husband. 
I  could  obtain  no  explanation  of  the  rise  of  this  prac- 
tice, which  clearly  dethrones  the  sovereignty  of  man. 
The  men  who  appeared  on  the  streets  did  not  have 
an  abject  look,  and  it  is  possible  that  this  reversal  of 


WITH    A    KING  155 

the  order  of  things  has  promoted  domestic  happiness. 
Occasionally  we  saw  men  with  signs  on  their  fore- 
heads, produced  by  ochres;  these  we  assumed  to  be 
members  of  the  despised  class  who  never  had  an 
offer  of  marriage. 

We  remained  in  the  Government  Residence  for  one 
night,  and  on  the  next  day  left  for  Calcutta.  It  was 
the  anniversary  of  the  Queen's  birthday.  All  Asia 
knew  it.  The  wings  of  the  morning  had  taken  the 
news  to  the  uttermost  parts.  On  the  Irrawaddy  was 
the  noise  of  guns,  and  dense  clouds  of  smoke  from 
salutes,  as  on  the  Thames  or  the  Mersey.  One  reflects 
that  the  empire  of  Alexander  the  Great  was  a  kitchen- 
garden  in  comparison  with  these  vast  possessions  of 
the  Queen. 

The  British  Commissioner  in  this  place  was  also 
a  quiet,  kind,  plainly  dressed  man,  and  yet,  with  the 
touch  of  his  finger  on  a  button,  he  could  summon 
fleets  and  armies.  He  and  the  other  men  of  the 
admirable  Civil  Service  are  content  to  rule  millions 
of  people  without  "  squeezing  them,"  as  the  Chinese 
say,  and  in  middle  life  they  retire  on  their  pensions 
to  the  beautiful  homes  of  England. 

A  British  wag  had  told  the  Burmese  that  the  for- 
eign King  was  a  cannibal,  and  on  his  departure  from 
home  had  eaten  a  fat  Chinaman  for  whom  he  had 
paid  three  hundred  rupees.  At  the  landing  a  large 
crowd  gathered  to  see  one  of  the  anthropophagi,  and 
no  doubt  the  story  will  pass  down  for  generations, 
of  the  appearance  in  Burmah  of  this  well-dressed 
man-eater,  the  sultan  of  some  country  beyond  the 
sea,  but  so  renowned  that  even  the  British  saluted 
him  with  many  guns. 

The  steerage  or  forward  deck  of  the  steamer  was 


156        AROUND    THE    WORLD 

occupied  by  many  types  of  the  Eastern  races,  Chi- 
nese, Malays,  Mohammedans,  and  Hindus.  The 
most  picturesque  character  of  these  was  the  Moham- 
medan at  his  evening  prayers ;  grand  in  his  devotions, 
but  perhaps  with  a  Pharisaical  conceit  in  his  own  im- 
pressive gymnastics.  As  the  Koran  forbids  him  a 
closet,  he  takes  space  wherever  he  is  and  fashions  an 
effective  environment.  An  American  would  say  he 
preferred  a  five-acre  lot  for  his  communion  with 
Allah.  As  the  sun  went  down  in  a  ball  of  fire,  an 
Islamite  stepped  to  a  clear  space  on  deck  and  carefully 
laid  down  his  cheap  blanket,  slowly  adjusted  his 
fez  cap,  and  faced  the  setting  sun,  which  was  in  the 
direction  of  Mecca.  Raising  his  arms  high,  he  was 
motionless  for  a  moment ;  then,  slowly  kneeling,  with 
his  eye  fixed  on  the  sun  and  his  lips  in  motion,  he 
again  stood  like  a  statue.  He  then  touched  the  deck 
three  times  with  his  forehead,  and  remained  in  this 
suppliant  attitude  while  he  repeated  some  ritual. 
Raising  himself  again  slowly  to  his  full  stature,  with 
his  eyes  closed  and  his  hands  clasped  on  his  breast, 
he  stood  motionless,  muttering  his  Arabic  prayer: 
"  God  is  great !  God  is  great !  "  Once  more,  grandly, 
gracefully,  leisurely,  he  prostrated  himself,  rose  again 
slowly,  repeated  in  Arabic,  "  There  is  no  God  but 
God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet !  "  then  gathered 
up  his  blanket,  glanced  around  at  his  audience,  and 
"  closed  the  show."  Perhaps  there  was  more  of 
heredity  than  sincerity  in  his  devotions;  perhaps  his 
motives  were  mixed  and  beyond  analysis.  Did  Long- 
fellow interpret  his  supplications : 

"  Allah  gives  light  in  the  darkness, 
Allah  gives  rest  from  pain; 
Cheeks  that  are  white  with  weeping, 
Allah  paints  red  again." 


WITH    A    KING  157 

The  Chinese,  Hindus,  and  Malays  looked  with  in- 
difference upon  the  Mohammedans  at  their  prayers. 
A  century  before,  these  men  of  different  religions 
would  have  been  at  one  another's  throats,  with  their 
intolerance  and  hatred.  But  at  the  masthead  was 
the  flag  which  they  all  knew  too  well  meant  law  and 
order.  If  it  were  written  in  the  Gospels,  "  Go  ye  and 
keep  the  peace  among  all  nations,"  the  British  were 
surely  filling  the  commandment. 

We  entered  the  muddy  waters  of  the  Hooghly  on 
the  third  day.  As  the  ocean  blue  shaded  off  into  the 
water  of  the  earth-coloured  stream,  there  was  a  sud- 
den cry  from  the  Hindus  on  the  forward  deck, 
"  Ganga !  Ganga !  "  ( "  The  Ganges !  The  Ganges !  "  ) 
They  stretched  out  their  arms  toward  the  sacred  river 
which  flows  by  the  sacred  city  of  Benares. 


158      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Reception  at  Calcutta  —  The  English  Civil  Service  —  The 
Secret  of  Britain's  Power  in  India  —  The  American  Negro 
Problem  Compared  with  Race  Problems  in  the  East  — 
The  Reign  of  the  "Plug"  Hat  —  An  Ex-King  of  Oude — 
Circumventing  the  King  —  Babu  Literature  —  Robert  Again 
Seeks  to  Rise  to  His  Hereditary  Level  —  Leave  Calcutta 
for  Bombay  —  Cooling  the  Train  —  Desolation  of  the  Coun- 
try —  Need  of  Irrigation  —  An  Indian  Statesman's  Views 
on  European  Civilisation  —  The  King  Creates  a  New 
Order  of  Merit  —  The  Sacred  City  of  Benares  —  Visit  the 
Temples  and  the  River  —  The  Monkey  Temple  and  the 
Imperturbable  Goat  —  Priestly  Logic  —  Reception  at  Bom- 
bay —  Parsees  —  The  Towers  of  Silence  —  Sir  Jamsetjee 
Jeejeebhoy's  Magnificent  Residence. 

BEFORE  we  were  anchored  off  Calcutta,  Mr. 
Macaulay,  a  relative  of  the  historian,  and  one 
of  the  Secretaries  for  the  great  Province  of  Bengal, 
with  Mr.  Kirch  of  the  Civil  Service,  boarded  our 
steamer  bearing  an  invitation  from  Sir  Astley  Eden, 
the  Governor,  to  the  King,  asking  him  to  be  his  guest 
at  Darjeeling,  some  distance  from  the  city  of  Cal- 
cutta. At  this  season  of  the  year  the  Viceroy  re- 
moves his  residence  to  Simla,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
heat  of  the  plains,  and  the  British  residents  remove 
to  the  mountains.  The  vice-regal  court  is  also  trans- 
ferred to  Simla,  and  the  social  life  of  the  court  is 
suspended  in  Calcutta.  As  our  stay  in  India  would  be 
brief,  it  forbade  our  accepting  any  special  hospitality 
from  the  Viceroy,  though  it  was  cordially  tendered. 
The  King  was  already  tired  of  Oriental  life  and  was 
anxious  to  see  Europe.    He  did  not  take  any  interest 


WITH    A    KING  159 

in  the  great  problems  of  the  Orient.  The  scenes  and 
incidents  of  the  tour  were  merely  toys,  and  he  was 
now  a  Httle  tired  of  them  unless  he  secured  decora- 
tions of  the  military  Orders,  which  he  could  exhibit 
when  he  reached  home. 

We  were  therefore  provided  with  lodgings  in  a 
hotel  in  the  city.  The  King  declined  the  usual  royal 
salute  and  a  military  parade,  which  were  offered. 
The  weather  was  warm,'  and  he  preferred  to  be  in 
his  pajamas.  The  representatives  of  the  government 
treated  him  with  much  courtesy  and  maintained  as 
much  ceremony  about  him  as  he  would  permit. 

These  quiet,  able,  well-trained,  and  unassuming 
Englishmen  in  plain  clothing,  members  of  the  Civil 
Service,  were  the  rulers  of  the  sixty  millions  of  in- 
habitants of  the  Province  of  Bengal.  They  were 
capable  of  the  vast  responsibilities  which  form  the 
English  inheritance  in  India.  The  time  had  passed 
for  the  making  of  vast  fortunes  out  of  the  people  by 
arbitrary  exactions.  Indian  rulers  had  now  become 
voluntary  exiles  from  England,  who  expected,  after  a 
sufficiently  long  and  honourable  service,  to  retire  to 
quiet  English  homes ;  though  if  they  chose  they  could 
be  petty  despots  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions 
of  people.  Around  our  table  were  seated  these  strong, 
incorruptible  men,  close  students  of  political  science, 
familiar  with  the  native  languages.  Yet  this  British 
rule  rested  on  a  mine  of  physical  force  which,  if  the 
natives  knew  how  to  explode  it,  would  not  leave  a 
vestige  of  British  power.  I  asked  Mr.  Macaulay  how 
fifty  thousand  British  soldiers  kept  these  two  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  in  order.  He  replied,  "  They  can- 
not agree  among  themselves;  if  they  did,  our  rule 
would  end  instantly."     Caste  and  religion  with  these 


160       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

millions  is  above  loyalty  to  a  common  country.  Mo- 
hammedans and  Hindus  cannot  keep  step  to  the  same 
national  anthem.  The  organising  brain  of  the  Briton, 
who  knows  the  force  of  these  racial  antagonisms, 
thus  keeps  one  fifth  of  the  human  race  in  order  with 
little  more  than  a  policeman's  club.  Americans  say 
that  their  own  negro  civilisation  is  one  of  the  chief 
problems  of  the  century.  The  eight  millions  of 
American  negroes  speak  the  English  language,  out- 
wardly conform  to  Christian  doctrine,  and  have  the 
habit  of  subservience  to  the  stronger  race,  which  is 
more  effective  than  the  force  of  law.  The  task  of 
controlling  and  moulding  these  eight  millions  of 
simple  blacks,  important  as  it  is,  is  a  bagatelle  in 
comparison  with  the  greater  task  of  reconstructing 
the  defective  civilisation  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
millions  of  people  whose  thought  and  literature  are 
full  of  force,  but  are  suffering  from  the  dry  rot  of 
ancient  and  unchangeable  customs  and  habits. 

We  were  driven  by  the  representative  of  the  court 
to  the  pagodas,  the  forts,  the  prisons,  and  the  public 
square,  where  in  the  afternoons  the  English  and 
native  residents  meet  on  foot  and  in  carriages.  Here 
we  saw  the  reign  of  the  "  ping  hat."  Neither  heat 
nor  other  climatic  conditions  can  dethrone  it.  It 
goes  all  over  the  world,  strapped  to  the  wings  of 
British  commerce.  It  is  respected  as  profoundly  as 
the  Flag  itself,  or  the  Parliament.  It  is  said  that  a 
Malay  pirate  once  appeared  before  a  British  magis- 
trate, with  naked  body,  but  covered  with  a  silk  hat, 
which  he  claimed  was  unanswerable  testimony  to  his 
loyalty  to  the  British  crown. 

The  King  had  been  advised  by  some  one  in  Sin- 
gapore to  visit  the  palace  and  menagerie  of  the  ex- 


WITH    A    KING  161 

King  of  Oude,  in  the  suburbs  of  Calcutta.  This 
deposed  King,  with  an  income  from  the  British  gov- 
ernment of  $500,000  per  annum,  lived  in  much 
splendour  with  about  three  hundred  wives,  but  was 
disreputable  and  vicious ;  his  pleasure  was  in  collect- 
ing wild  beasts  and  in  riotous  living.  Our  King 
wished  to  see  him;  but  there  were  political  reasons 
for  preventing  it.  A  call  by  an  acknowledged  king, 
with  the  assent  of  the  British,  would,  in  the  minds  of 
the  Hindus,  be  regarded  as  homage  to  their  own 
deposed  sovereign.  The  British  government  would 
not  prevent  a  call  by  the  Hawaiian  monarch  upon 
his  deposed  brother,  but  they  preferred  that  he  should 
not  honour  him.  We,  the  suite,  advised  the  King 
not  to  visit  him,  but  his  curiosity  to  see  the  mag- 
nificent establishment  made  him  obstinate,  and  he 
resolved  to  go.  We  therefore,  with  a  subterfuge, 
prevented  it.  We  contrived  that  a  message  should 
be  brought  to  us  stating  that  the  measles  had  broken 
out  in  the  palace  of  the  ex-King.  Our  royal  master 
recalled  the  fate  of  his  predecessor  in  London,  the 
incidents  of  death,  —  Sandwiches,  etc.,  —  and  he 
yielded.  The  success  of  this  subterfuge  led  us  to 
try  another,  the  story  of  which  will  appear  later  in 
this  memoir.  It  is  a  maxim  of  the  Anointed  that 
they  are  above  all  law;  from  this  is  forced  a  corol- 
lary that  those  who  deal  with  kings  are  above  all 
conscience.  We  confessed  our  iniquity  on  reaching 
home  and  received  the  royal  pardon. 

To  me,  the  old  residences  of  Clive  and  Warren 
Hastings,  the  empire-builders,  were  the  fascinating 
spots  of  Calcutta.  These  men  were  the  commercial 
travellers  who  had  taken  up  the  sword  as  a  mere 
incident  of  trade,  and  had  opened  the  way  for  the 


162      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

expansion  of  British  power  over  such  an  enormous 
portion  of  the  globe  as  it  has  since  dominated. 
While  George  III  and  Lord  North  were,  through  a 
foolish  policy,  casting  away  the  American  colonies, 
these  soldier-traders  were  replacing  them  with  a  vast 
empire. 

Several  Hindus  who  had  been  educated  in  the 
English  schools  applied  to  the  King  by  letter  for 
appointments  in  his  islands.  One  of  their  letters,  we 
were  told,  was  a  fair  sample  of  Babu  literature: 

"  Calcutta,  May  29,  1887. 

"  Your  Mighty  Excellency  and  Sultan  : 

"  I  debase  myself  to  Your  Excellency's  greatness, 
to  be  magnanimous  sentiments,  to  recognise  in  me 
capable  of  labour  in  mercantile  house.  I  clutch  your 
blessed  hand  to  be  encouraged  for  post  of  service  in 
your  great  Empire,  to  be  discharged  gloriously  by  me. 
Admiration  for  me  is  monotonously  expressed  in  letters. 
I  will  be  honoured  to  lay  with  bended  knees  before  your 
Majestic  Excellence. 

"  Your  most  obedient 

"  Servant." 

A  similar  example  of  Babu  literature  is  cited  by 
Lady  Dufferin.     One  of  these  worthies  writes : 

"  You  are  kind  to  me.  May  Almighty  God  give  you 
tit  for  tat." 

Robert  was  again  the  cause  of  annoyance  to  us. 
He  made  another  struggle  in  Calcutta  to  rise  to  his 
level.      He   had   registered   himself  in   the   hotel  as 

"  Baron  von   O ,   Equerry  in   Waiting,"   and 

without  our  knowledge  was  assigned  to  fine  apart- 


WITH    A    KING  163 

ments.  A  place  was  made  for  him  by  the  attendants 
at  the  King's  table,  but,  as  he  did  not  appear,  one  of 
the  government  staff  asked  for  an  explanation.  I 
took  him  aside  and  frankly  told  him  the  rather 
romantic  story  of  the  valet.  During  the  evening, 
after  the  King  had  retired,  I  related  to  these  gentle- 
men our  many  tribulations  with  Robert,  and  they 
were  greatly  pleased  with  the  humours  of  the  sit- 
uation and  the  fortunes  of  the  Feather  Cloak.  They 
admitted  that  even  in  the  vice-regal  court  there  were 
incidents  equally  ludicrous.  The  genteel  appear- 
ance, tall  figure,  brilliant  complexion,  and  excellent 
speech  of  the  valet  had  impressed  and  puzzled  these 
gentlemen. 

We  left  in  the  vice-regal  car  for  a  journey  across 
India  to  Bombay  by  way  of  Benares.  It  was  plainly 
furnished;  in  one  of  its  co-apartments  was  a  large 
tub  into  which  water  was  let  from  a  large  tank  in  the 
roof  of  the  car.  Into  the  window  frames  were  fas- 
tened wheels  of  straw  called  khuskhus.  The  wind 
caused  by  the  motion  of  the  cars  caused  them  to  re- 
volve very  rapidly.  Water  trickled  down  over  them 
in  small  streams  from  a  tank  above,  and  the  resulting 
evaporation  cooled  the  air  within  the  car.  A  box 
filled  with  ice  was  stored  with  the  luggage,  upon 
which  some  Babu  had  written  a  direction,  — 

"H.  M.  King,  Esq., 
Kalakaua." 

For  some  hundreds  of  miles  our  course  was  through 
arid  land,  for  the  monsoon  had  not  come.  If  irriga- 
tion works  are  constructed  through  this  vast  area, 
and  proper  fertilisers  are  used,  the  population  of  this 
portion  of  India,  it  is  said,  may  be  trebled,  and  still 


164       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

find  sufficient  support  from  the  soil.  So  far  as  we 
could  see,  for  a  thousand  miles,  there  was  nothing 
but  parched  fields  and  no  green  thing. 

Although  we  were  now  travelling  in  a  land  where, 
it  is  said,  famine  and  misery  are  the  lot  of  the  com- 
mon people,  I  recalled  the  speech  of  the  Nawab 
Medhi  Ali,  of  Hyderabad,  a  distinguished  Indian 
statesman,  who  had  recently  returned  from  a  visit 
to  England.  He  spoke  with  admiration  of  the  indus- 
trial power  lying  in  the  "  two  hundred  millions  of 
iron  men,"  the  steam  force  of  British  machinery  in 
the  manufacturing  districts,  and  compared  it  with 
the  conditions  of  India ;  but,  he  said,  "  so  far  from 
widespread  happiness  in  England,  there  is  an  appear- 
ance of  poverty  more  pinching,  and  a  misery  more 
distressing,  in  a  single  quarter  of  London,  than  can 
be  found  in  all  the  Deccan,  —  yes,  it  might  be  safely 
said,  more  than  in  all  India."  Is,  then,  the  evolution 
of  Christian  civilisation  in  England  abnormal  and 
monstrous,  or  is  it  essentially  the  civilisation  of 
France  before  the  Revolution  of  1893?  I  was  not 
surprised,  therefore,  when  the  King,  with  his  simple 
Polynesian  mind,  remarked  from  time  to  time  that 
his  own  native  subjects  were  as  happy  as  any  people 
he  met  in  his  travels. 

During  the  trip  through  this  part  of  India  the  King 
became  tired  of  gazing  out  of  the  windows,  and  for 
occupation  invented  a  new  Order  of  merit,  which  he 
styled  the  "  Order  of  Kapiolani,"  his  Queen.  He 
said  that  he  desired  to  confer  distinction  on  several 
ladies  who  were  famous  in  literature;  he  mentioned 
Miss  Bird  and  Lady  Brassey.  He  had  been  greatly 
annoyed  by  the  innumerable  requests  for  his  Orders 
wherever  we  had  been,  and  he  thought  a  new  Order 


WITH    A    KING  165 

would  enable  him  to  make  those  In  existence  less 
common.  So,  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen,  it  was  estab- 
lished, and  the  decorations  were  at  once  made  in 
Paris.  These  he  subsequently  conferred  upon  many 
persons,  some  of  whom  received  them  as  just  marks 
of  distinction,  and  some  with  much  gratitude. 

Mr.  Dannell,  the  British  Collector  of  the  Province 
of  Benares,  met  us  at  the  railway  station  at  Benares 
and  invited  us  to  be  his  guests  in  the  Government 
House.  This  invitation  was  declined,  together  with 
his  offer  of  a  parade  of  troops  and  royal  salute,  and 
we  lodged  in  a  hotel.  The  official  staff,  with  some 
noted  natives,  called,  and  during  that  day  and  the 
succeeding  one  drove  us  about  the  sacred  city; 
through  the  fine  grounds  of  the  Maharajah's  palace, 
through  narrow  streets  smelling  of  all  abominations, 
where  multitudes  of  women  of  the  poorer  classes 
squatted  before  hovels,  with  rings  of  silver  or  brass 
around  their  ankles  or  riveted  through  their  noses; 
to  the  pagodas,  temples,  and  sacred  wells,  where 
stench  and  dirt  abounded ;  to  the  cow  temple,  where 
thirty  sacred  cows  chewed  their  cuds  without  preju- 
dice against  a  religion  which  filled  them  with  rich 
provender;  to  the  pen  of  the  blind  and  sacred  bull, 
who  thrust  out  his  tongue  for  food  as  the  blind 
beggar  holds  out  his  box.  We  then  moved  up  and 
down  the  Ganges  in  a  barge,  just  beyond  the  line 
of  the  pilgrim  bathers,  who  for  a  mile  along  its  banks 
were  motionless  in  the  sacred  water.  Rising  from 
the  banks  and  on  the  hills  above  it  were  the  gaudy 
temples,  and  on  the  low  brink  of  the  river  the  crema- 
tories, from  which  the  ashes  of  the  dead  were  flung 
into  the  stream.  As  we  rested  on  the  river,  before 
a  landscape  within  which  lies  the  hope  and  redemp- 


166       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

tion  of  all  Hindu-land,  I  recalled  a  fierce  debate 
of  my  college  days,  under  the  elms  of  Yale,  over  the 
question,  "  Should  a  Hindu  mother  obey  the  dictates 
of  her  conscience  when  it  directs  her  to  cast  her  child 
into  the  Ganges?  "  I  was  now  actually  looking  upon 
the  banks  from  which  innumerable  infants  had  been 
flung.  If  the  Hindu  mother  obeyed  her  conscience, 
where  was  the  sin?  If  the  sin  lay  in  her  ignorance, 
was  she  responsible  for  light  that  for  her  had  never 
shone?  The  theologists  of  those  early  days  confi- 
dently consigned  her  to  everlasting  torments;  the 
theologists  of  the  "  higher  criticism  "  now  suspend 
judgment,  with  less  confidence  in  their  knowledge 
of  the  moral  mystery  of  this  world. 

At  the  monkey  temple,  within  the  city,  a  priest 
received  us  and  humbly  asked  alms  for  the  benefit 
of  these  consecrated  simians.  "  If  a  monkey  be  the 
god,  what  must  the  priest  be?"  asked  the  cynical 
Frenchman.  The  one  who  stood  at  the  gate  of  this 
temple  as  the  medium  between  man,  the  worshipper, 
and  the  monkey  gods,  was  a  shrewd-looking  person, 
and,  no  doubt,  could  advance  conclusive  reasons  for 
the  truths  of  simian  theology.  He  led  us  within, 
where  a  thousand  chattering  divinities  were  climb- 
ing pillars,  swinging  from  the  rafters,  or  picking 
the  meat  out  of  sacrificial  nuts  offered  to  them  by 
the  crowd  of  worshippers.  Nor  did  they  hesitate 
to  drop  upon  the  shoulders  of  believers  and  seize 
fruit  from  their  hands. 

A  venerable  goat  stood  alone  in  the  court-yard; 
what  his  part  was  in  this  "  divine  comedy  "  we  were 
not  told;  whether  or  not  in  this  intricate  religious 
system  a  scapegoat  was  needed,  no  one  knew.  But 
his  patience  was  indeed  divine.    Three  active  young 


WITH    A    KING  167 

monkeys  sat  on  his  back;  another  sat  between  his 
horns ;  another  pulled  his  tail,  but  he  stood  imper- 
turbable, chewing  his  cud  with  the  resigned  air  of 
one  who  had  suffered  much  tribulation,  with  a  hope 
of  eternal  bliss  in  a  Paradise  of  rubbish.  These 
mischievous  divinities  swarm  over  the  city,  pounce 
on  and  carry  off,  without  resistance,  the  food  of  the 
poor,  which  is  the  simian  method  of  assessing  for 
church  dues,  and  they  are  not  punished.  An  attempt 
was  made  by  the  British  authorities  to  place  them 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  river,  but  they  swarmed 
back  on  the  river  boats,  for  no  boatmen  dared  molest 
them.  When  they  are  old  and  feeble  they  are  placed 
in  an  asylum ;  this  "  retreat,"  the  German  poet  Heine 
said,  was  the  model  for  the  French  Academy  of 
Science.  One  can  imagine  the  consolation  of  a 
devout  Hindu  who  in  his  last  hour,  when  all  other 
consolation  is  gone,  grasps  this  flower  of  faith  in 
immortal  monkeys,  and  refreshes  himself  with  its 
fragrance  in  the  last  darkness. 

I  asked  the  British  "  Collector  "  whether  he  rea- 
soned with  the  worshippers  about  their  belief  in  this 
simian  divinity.  He  replied  that  he  did,  but  that  a 
cute  priest  "  turned  all  his  points."  This  belief  was 
based  on  the  writings  of  the  sacred  books;  if  you 
questioned  their  authority,  the  priest  replied,  "  What 
you  need  is  faith ;  if  you  have  that,  you  will  believe : 
you  have  faith  in  your  own  religion,  therefore  you 
believe  it :  have  faith  in  ours,  and  you  will  believe  as 
we  believe." 

British  rule,  which  is  flexible  and  adroit,  must 
tolerate  and  protect  this  institution  as  well  as  that 
of  polygamy.  These  are  fixed  in  the  customs  and 
ideas  of  the  people,  as  human  slavery  was  fixed  and 


168      AROUND    THE    AVORLD 

protected  in  the  political  constitution  of  the  American 
Repubhc. 

Of  this  wonderful  city  one  hundred  books  have 
been  written.  There  was  nothing  which  we  saw  that 
has  not  been  told  in  them  by  many  pens. 

We  travelled,  without  rest,  to  Bombay.  The  heat 
was  great,  and  the  King  had  "  sucked  "  up  all  he 
cared  to  know  about  the  Orient.  He  was  the  typical 
tourist,  who  wished  above  all  things  to  cover  the 
ground. 

Sir  James  Ferguson,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
the  Bombay  Province,  received  us  at  the  railway 
station  and  invited  the  party  to  his  summer  residence 
in  Mahabheshwar :  but  the  invitation  was  declined, 
for  the  King  preferred  to  remain  in  Bombay  during 
our  short  stay. 

The  Civil  Service  officers,  the  Consular  Corps, 
distinguished  natives,  both  Indians  and  Parsees, 
called  upon  the  King,  and  for  three  days  made  him 
welcome.  He  saw  the  docks,  the  stables  of  Arabian 
horses,  the  silver  wares  of  Cutch.  the  singular  caves 
of  Elephanta  with  their  immense  stone  images  of 
the  three-headed  gods,  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Siva, 
and  the  seven  Towers  of  Silence.  The  towers  are 
on  the  brow  of  a  promontory  high  above  and  over- 
looking the  ocean.  To  these  the  Parsees  consign 
their  dead.  In  the  temple  at  the  gateway  is  the  per- 
petual fire  of  the  Fire-Worshippers. 

The  Parsees  are  said  to  be  the  Jews  of  India; 
followers  of  Zoroaster,  they  are  able  and  shrewd  men 
who  hold  the  money  power  of  Bombay.  One  of  them. 
Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy.  the  only  native  baronet  in 
India  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  and  a  millionaire,  called 
upon  the  King,  who,  in  order  to  see  his  great  resi- 


WITH    A    KING  169 

dence,  assumed  his  incognito  and  returned  his  visit. 
The  large  hall  in  which  he  received  us  was  an  art 
gallery  with  a  great  number  of  pictures  by  foreign 
and  native  artists.  By  the  side  of  rich  European 
furniture  were  pieces  of  delicate  Indian  workman- 
ship, and  the  grounds  surrounding  the  place  held  all 
the  rare  plants  of  India.  When  we  rose  to  leave, 
wreaths  of  jessamine  were  put  about  our  necks,  and 
bouquets  of  lily  blossoms  put  into  our  hands.  Sir 
Jamsetjee  pressed  the  King  to  attend  a  banquet,  but 
his  invitation  was  declined  for  lack  of  time. 

Before  leaving  India  the  King  proposed  that  we 
should  take  home  some  souvenir  of  the  country.  I 
suggested  that  we  take  back  the  custom  of  the  faith- 
ful Hindu  who  raises  only  a  single  tuft  of  hair  on  the 
very  top  of  his  head,  by  which  the  Divine  hand  draws 
him  up  to  Heaven.  The  King  promptly  rejected  this 
Ministerial  advice,  but  selected  a  striking  image  of 
Buddha,  for  the  purpose,  I  afterwards  learned,  of 
showing  to  his  own  people  that  nations  with  some 
high  civilisation  used  a  variety  of  idols  as  well  as  the 
Hawaiians.  His  people,  he  said,  were  not  the  beastly 
pagans  that  the  travellers  and  missionaries  had  rep- 
resented them  to  be. 


170       AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XIX 

From  Bombay  to  Suez  —  Some  Modest  British  Heroes  — 
Anecdotes  of  the  Candahar  Campaign  —  The  Valet's  Re- 
lations to  the  King  Explained  —  Aden  —  No  Trace  of  the 
Lost  Lenore  —  Black  Arab  Boys  with  Red  Hair  —  Diving 
for  Coins ;  an  Old  Trick  of  the  King  and  His  Suite  — 
Mount  Sinai  —  An  Englishman's  Comments  on  its  Pos- 
sessors —  Surprised  by  the  Khedive's  Officers  at  Suez  — 
The  King  Invited  to  Be  the  Khedive's  Guest  —  The  Suez 
Canal  —  "Sandwiches"  at  Zigazag  —  Mohammedan  Absti- 
nence —  Mussulman  Comments  on  Christianity. 

WE  embarked  on  the  "  Rosetta  "  for  Suez,  with 
royal  salutes  from  ships  and  forts. 

We  had  rapidly  travelled  through  a  vast  empire 
and  had  seen  as  little  of  it  as  one  sees  of  the  moon 
through  a  small  telescope.  This  was,  however,  a 
royal  tour,  and  "  the  King  does  as  he  pleases." 
Not  even  the  splendid  mausoleum  at  Agra,  the 
"  dream  "  of  India,  tempted  my  royal  master  to  delay 
his  journey.  The  edge  of  his  curiosity  was  dulled, 
and  he  was  satiated.  As  to  the  troublesome  problems 
and  stupendous  questions  which  confronted  the  Brit- 
ish in  India,  he  thought  that  the  British  had  foolishly 
gotten  into  a  scrape  and  would  have  to  get  out  of  it 
the  best  way  they  could ;  they  had,  he  thought,  med- 
dled in  other  people's  affairs,  and  their  fingers  were 
burned.  This  much  he  had  "  sucked  "  out  of  his 
travels.  No  doubt  there  was  some  wisdom  in  his 
reflections. 

The  southwest  monsoon  set  in  on  the  second  day. 
In  these  dense  clouds  and  strong  winds  were  the  airy 
cargoes  of  rain  which  fall  in  showers  of  gold  over  all 


WITH    A    KING  171 

India.  Our  vessel  was  crowded  with  British  officers 
who  were  returning  home  after  the  Candahar  cam- 
paign. They  were  simple,  rugged  men,  modest,  and 
full  of  that  supreme  pluck  which  has  won  empires. 
They  talked  of  battles  in  the  mountain  passes  as  if 
they  had  been  trifling  skirmishes;  there  was  no 
magnifying  of  their  office.  They  recited  no  heroic 
stories,  though  the  campaign  was  filled  with  brave 
acts.  A  colonel  told  us  an  incident  of  their  retreat. 
While  falling  back  through  a  gorge  in  the  mountains 
he  commanded  a  force  protecting  the  rear  of  the 
column.  It  was  annoyed  by  the  rifle-shots  from  scat- 
tered bands  of  Afghans  on  the  mountain  sides.  With 
his  own  force  were  men  of  a  tribe  who  fight  for  hire 
on  either  side.  One  of  his  officers  saw  a  hostile  tribe- 
man  on  the  mountain  side  "  potting  "  British  soldiers, 
and  he  called  to  one  of  his  own  tribe-men,  "  Do  you 
see  that  man  firing  at  us  ?  "  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  replied, 
"he  is  my  father.  I've  had  three  shots  at  him; 
I  '11  kill  him  next  shot."  The  British  force  had  also 
taken  some  Afghan  prisoners,  but  there  was  not 
force  enough  to  hold  them.  They  were  released  on 
promises  not  to  fight  against  the  British.  One  of 
them  replied :  "  My  religion  compels  me  to  fight  you 
always."  "  Then  we  must  hang  you,"  said  the  Brit- 
ish commander.  "  Can't  help  it,"  the  prisoner  re- 
plied; and  he  was  hung.  Prisoners  were  often 
taken  and  released ;  the  next  day  they  became  loyal 
teamsters  in  the  British  service  and  were  excellent 
foragers.  It  was  said  by  these  British  soldiers  that 
the  Asiatics  were  indifferent  to  death  from  cannon 
and  gun  shots,  but  that  they  could  not  stand  a  bayonet 
charge;  the  personal  presence  and  energy  of  the 
British  enemy  upset  their  equanimity. 


172       AROUND    THE    WORLD 

From  letters  which  we  received  from  home,  in 
Bombay,  the  suite  now  discovered  the  curious  and 
rather  mysterious  relations  which  existed  between 
the  King  and  Robert.  The  versatile  editor  of  a  local 
paper  had  secretly  urged  the  King  to  keep  a  record 
of  his  travels,  which,  in  the  hands  of  the  editor,  would 
be  transformed  into  a  brilliant  history  of  his  tour. 
As  the  editor  was  politically  opposed  to  the  suite,  he 
had  recommended  that  Robert  should  add  to  his 
duties  of  valet  that  of  keeping  a  faithful  diary  of 
events.  The  King  assented  to  this  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  suite,  as  it  was  an  assurance  of  a 
flattering  account  of  his  "  ever-glorious  "  tour.  Rob- 
ert's frailties  embarrassed  the  King;  he  felt,  how- 
ever, that  to  discharge  him  would  be  to  prevent  the 
making  of  a  most  valuable  record,  and  he  submitted 
with  patience  to  his  irregularities.  The  sequel  proved 
that  Robert,  though  pretending  to  keep  a  faithful 
diary  of  events,  neglected  to  do  so  because  he  was 
not  relieved  from  his  menial  service. 

When  the  steamship  anchored  at  Aden  (the  spot 
where  it  never  rains)  the  British  Governor  came  on 
board  and  invited  the  King  to  land  and  lunch  with 
him.  Aden  stands  as  a  sentinel  guarding  the  water- 
way from  England  to  India.  On  the  beach  were 
tethered  camels,  and  Arab  peddlers  offered  ostrich 
feathers  at  London  prices.  Here  in  this  "  distant 
Aden  "  I  suppose  we  should  have  seen  "  a  fair  and 
radiant  maiden  whom  the  angels  name  Lenore,"  but 
neither  telescope  nor  eye  could  discover  her.  In  her 
place  were  some  shrivelled  women  crouching  on  the 
sand,  not  one  of  whom  had  ever  heard  of  her,  but 
suggested  that  she  might  be  a  resident  of  an  interior 
village.  Groups  of  Arab  boys,  with  black  skins  and 


WITH    A    KING  173 

reddish-yellow  hair,  were  lying  on  the  sand.  This 
peculiar  colour  of  the  hair  is  obtained  by  covering 
the  head  with  a  thick  paste  of  clay  and  lime,  the 
acids  of  which  convert  the  black  into  reddish  yellow. 
Many  of  the  small  boys  were  walking  about  with 
heavy  and  dirty  caps  of  mud  in  order  to  comply  with 
this  fashion. 

While  the  King,  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  was 
looking  at  the  swarms  of  black  and  artificially  red- 
headed boys  who  were  swimming  about  the  vessel, 
the  British  Governor  said :  "  Your  Majesty,  please 
notice  the  great  skill  of  these  black  chaps,  who  dive 
deeply  and  bring  up  from  the  bottom  any  coin  you 
pitch  into  the  water."  He  tossed  some  silver  coins 
into  the  sea,  and  they  were  quickly  brought  to  the 
surface  by  the  urchins,  who  sank  like  lead  toward 
the  bottom.  The  King  replied,  "  It  is  very  clever ;  " 
then,  turning  to  his  suite,  he  said  in  his  native  lan- 
guage :  "  Thirty  years  ago  you  and  I  did  it  just  as 
well  in  Honolulu  harbour."  He  referred  to  our  child- 
hood days,  when  our  incomes  were  limited,  and  we 
also  plunged  into  the  water  and  brought  up  coins 
which  American  whalemen  tossed  from  the  docks. 
The  explanation  of  this  trick  is  that  a  coin  cast  into 
the  water  sinks  in  a  moderate  zigzag  course,  and 
a  skilful  diver,  sinking  more  rapidly  than  the  coin, 
turns,  looks  upward,  and  catches  it  as  it  descends  and 
before  it  reaches  the  bottom. 

Steaming  up  the  Red  Sea,  parched  in  the  hot  air 
which  flows  over  it  from  the  Arabian  Desert,  the 
shores  gradually  narrowed  into  the  Gulf  of  Suez. 
Mount  Sinai  loomed  up  through  the  transparent  air 
far  to  the  eastward.  One  who  accepts  the  faith  of 
Christendom,  and  for  the  first  time  actually  sees  the 


174      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

rugged  and  bare  peaks  from  which  the  Law  was 
given  to  man,  is  awed  in  its  presence  as  if  there  still 
remained  some  of  its  supernatural  wonders;  even 
undying  sparks  of  the  Fire  in  the  Bush.  An  English- 
man standing  by  the  King  said  : 

"  It 's  a  beastly  shame  that  Sinai  is  in  the  hands  of 
a  lot  of  rascally  and  thieving  monks  who  swindle  the 
Christian  visitors ;  and  Jerusalem  too,  —  the  blasted 
Turks  hold  all  the  sacred  places." 

The  King  asked  his  English  acquaintance  why 
Christendom  did  not  seize  the  holy  places  and  hold 
them  as  sacred  memorials  of  the  most  memorable 
event  in  the  history  of  man.  His  plain-speaking 
friend  replied :  "  Can  do  it,  you  know,  just  as  easy 
as  a  mastiff  throws  up  a  rat ;  but  all  that 's  senti- 
ment, —  no  trade  in  it ;  if  you  found  gold  mines  on 
Sinai  or  in  Bethlehem,  Christendom  would  clear  out 
those  devilish  Turkish  beggars  in  a  jiffy;  if  Nelson 
or  Wellington  were  buried  there,  we  'd  have  them 
now." 

In  this  way  was  the  royal  Polynesian  instructed  in 
the  moral  sentiment  of  Europe  toward  the  Holy 
Land.  He  had  read  about  the  Crusades,  and  he  asked 
this  stranger  why  they  were  abandoned  after  they  had 
been  prosecuted  for  nearly  two  hundred  years.  The 
stranger  told  him  the  Mohammedans  said  it  was 
God's  will  that  they  should  keep  those  places,  and  he 
fancied  they  were  right  about  it;  the  Christian 
nations,  if  they  got  possession  of  them,  would  only 
make  a  dog-fight  over  the  ownership. 

My  royal  master  was  much  impressed  with  the 
statements  of  this  stranger.  He  said  the  people  of 
Christian  lands  seemed  to  be  more  indifferent  than 
even  his  own  people  toward  sacred  places;    at  any 


WITH    A    KING  175 

rate  they  did  not  show  as  much  respect  for  them  as 
he  had  believed. 

Our  steamer  anchored  near  the  town  of  Suez  late 
in  the  evening.  We  were  told  that  she  would  enter 
the  Canal  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  made 
our  plans  to  leave  her  and  land  at  that  early  hour, 
and  take  the  railway  train  for  Cairo. 

We  had  sent  no  notice  to  the  Khedive,  or  requested 
any  to  be  sent,  of  our  intention  to  visit  Egypt,  but 
pursued  our  safe  policy  of  inviting  no  repulse  or 
snubbing.  We  suspected  that  his  Highness  had  never 
heard  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands;  moreover  our  king- 
dom was  without  any  treaty  with  Turkey,  and  we 
were  not  entitled  to  any  courtesies. 

The  King  was  asleep  below  in  his  stateroom,  and 
I  was  dozing  in  a  deck  chair  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  one  of  the  vessel's  officers  woke  me 
with  the  statement,  "  An  embassy,  sir,  from  the 
Khedive."  I  stood  up,  rubbed  my  eyes,  looked  into 
the  darkness,  and  by  the  dim  light  of  the  hanging 
lantern  saw  six  persons  in  full  uniform,  with  fez  caps, 
standing  before  me.  I  was  surprised  and  confused  at 
this  apparition  of  gold  lace  and  fez  caps.  One  of  the 
party  introduced  himself  to  me  as  Sami-Pasha,  and 
his  companions  as  Abbati-Bey  and  Ali-Saroudi-Bey, 
and  others,  who  had  been  directed  by  the  Khedive  to 
proceed  from  Cairo  to  Suez  and  invite  the  King  to 
become  his  Highness' s  guest  as  long  as  he  remained 
in  Egypt.  Sami-Pasha  had  formerly  represented  the 
Khedive  in  London,  and  spoke  English  fluently,  and, 
though  he  was  no  longer  in  active  service,  had  been 
requested  to  join  in  receiving  the  King.  Abbati-Bey 
was  another  noted  member  of  the  vice-regal  court, 
and  Ali-S.aroudi  was  the  Director  of  Railways. 


176     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

I  roused  the  Chamberlain,  who  directed  the  valet 
to  wake  up  the  King,  who  was  soundly  asleep  on  a 
sofa.  After  several  minutes'  shaking  the  royal  per- 
sonage awoke,  and  was  told  that  an  embassy  from 
the  Khedive  was  on  deck.  The  valet  dressed  him, 
and  he  reached  the  deck,  though  not  fully  awake.  In 
the  dim  light  he  stood  leaning  against  the  sides  of  the 
saloon  while  the  members  of  the  embassy  were  pre- 
sented to  him  and  gave  him  the  Khedive's  invitation, 
which  he  graciously  accepted,  though  he  was  too 
drowsy  to  understand  it.  He  began  to  take  a  nap 
in  a  standing  position,  but  we  all  entered  the  dining- 
saloon  and  some  coffee  woke  us  up.  The  chief  of 
the  embassy  said  that  they  had  just  arrived  from 
Cairo  on  the  Khedive's  private  car,  and  they  asked 
the  King  to  breakfast  in  Suez  and  then  take  the  train, 
which  would  be  kept  waiting  for  him.  We  there- 
upon boarded  the  yacht  of  the  embassy  just  as  it 
began  to  dawn.  As  it  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  breakfast  would  not  be  served  for 
several  hours,  we  steamed  into  the  Canal  for  a  mile, 
and  then  returned.  In  the  clear  morning  air  the 
ranges  of  mountains  on  both  sides  of  the  Red  Sea 
loomed  up  barren  and  desolate,  with  Sinai  towering 
in  the  middle  range  to  the  eastward.  Suddenly  a 
flash  of  light  from  the  rising  sun  shot  across  the 
sky,  and  the  mountains  of  the  African  range  were 
tinted  with  purple.  The  King,  now  well  awake, 
wished  to  know  where  the  Israelites  had  crossed  the 
Red  Sea.  He  was  told  that  many  men  had  studied 
the  matter,  but  could  not  agree  on  the  route;  that 
Napoleon,  in  his  expedition  to  Egypt,  had  tried  to 
follow  it  under  the  direction  of  his  savants,  but  came 
near  being  swamped.     According  to  the  Arab  story 


WITH    A    KING  177 

he  was  fished  out  of  the  water  in  a  very  sad  plight; 
according  to  the  French  account  he  had  been  saved 
by  his  own  fertile  genius. 

The  desert,  like  a  great  sea,  stretched  away  until 
lost  in  the  horizon.  Not  far  off  was  a  camp  of  Bed- 
ouins, the  camels  tethered  around  the  tents.  At 
some  distance  toward  the  east  were  the  two  green 
spots  known  as  "  Moses'  Wells,"  and  over  all  was  the 
silence  of  centuries. 

On  landing  in  Suez  an  elaborate  breakfast  was 
served  in  the  hotel  by  cooks  and  servants  who  were 
brought  by  the  train  from  the  Khedive's  palace  in 
Cairo.  We  entered  the  vice-regal  car,  which  was  fur- 
nished in  silk  and  embroideries,  and  to  which  was 
attached  another  car  containing  the  servants  and 
luggage. 

As  we  ran  for  many  miles  on  a  line  parallel  with 
the  Canal,  there  appeared  the  strange  phenomenon  of 
huge  steamers  ploughing  their  course  through  the 
sands  of  the  desert;  for  the  water  of  the  Canal  was 
below  the  plane  of  the  sand  and  not  visible. 

When  we  reached  Zigazag  an  amusing  incident 
occurred.  It  was  arranged  before  we  left  Suez  that 
at  this  station  we  should  have  luncheon  at  one  o'clock. 
Entering  a  private  room,  we  saw  upon  a  table  a  large 
tray  upon  which  was  a  mountain  of  sandwiches.  His 
Excellency  Sami-Pasha  was  enraged.  Calling  for  the 
keeper  of  the  station,  he  shouted :  "  What  does  this 
mean?  I  ordered  lunch  for  his  Majesty  the  King; 
you  give  us  sandwiches,  bah !  "  The  station-master 
trembled,  bowed  low,  and,  when  our  vice-regal  escort 
would  listen,  explained  that  he  had  received  a  tele- 
gram ordering  sandwiches.  "  Where  is  it?  "  Abbati- 
Bey  shouted.    It  was  brought.    The  despatch  dictated 


178     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

at  Suez  was :  "  Prepare  lunch  for  the  King  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,"    The  telegram  received  read: 

"  Prepare  lunch  for  the  King.     Sandwiches." 

In  the  angry  discussion  over  this  error,  which  was 
carried  on  in  the  Osmanli  or  Egyptian  tongue,  we 
heard  "  Allah  "  repeated  several  times ;  but  the  oc- 
casion required  something  more  vigorous,  and  the 
rugged  strength  of  the  English  language,  now  the 
imprecating  language  of  the  world,  was  mustered 
up,  and  a  "  Damn "  was  heard  in  the  land  where 
Pharaoh  had  ruled.  The  embassy  apologised  to  the 
King,  and  the  traffic  of  the  railway  was  suspended 
during  the  delay  of  the  train  while  an  excellent  lunch 
was  prepared.  Had  Death  a  grudge  against  this 
Polynesian  monarch?  He  had  demanded  "Royal 
Sandwiches  "  in  London  nearly  sixty  years  before, 
and  now  he  had  wickedly  instigated  the  guileless 
Egyptians  to  put  before  him  a  pile  of  sandwiches 
as  a  solemn  reminder  that  he  was  stalking  behind 
him,  even  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyramids. 

Looking  from  the  window  of  the  car,  as  we  again 
rode  through  the  desert,  several  points  appeared  just 
above  the  horizon  in  the  western  sky.  "  You  see  the 
Pyramids,"  said  Sami-Pasha.  "  They  are  curiosities 
only,"  he  said :  "  if  you  compare  them  with  moun- 
tains, they  are  nothing;  but  they  are  grand  because 
man  made  them.     You  will  visit  them  to-morrow." 

While  we  rested  on  the  silk-covered  divans  the 
obsequious  Egyptian  servants  tendered  us,  as  usual, 
champagne  and  whiskey.  The  embassy  did  not  touch 
them.  If  temperance  be  a  virtue  and  drunkenness  a 
vice,  Islamism  has  absorbed  all  the  virtue  and  turned 
over  to  Christendom  an  undisputed  title  to  the  vice. 


WITH    A    KING  179 

Sami-Pasha  said  that  while  the  Koran  forbade  the 
use  of  wine,  there  was  a  prevaihng  reason  for  the 
abstinence  of  the  Mohammedans  in  the  poverty  of 
the  people  and  the  lack  of  material  out  of  which 
cheap  spirits  could  be  made.     He  continued: 

"  If  the  Arabs  could  raise  potatoes  like  the  Irish- 
man, or  grain  like  the  Russians,  the  command  of  the 
Koran  would  not  be  kept  as  well  as  it  is.  But,"  he 
continued,  "  Europe  will  make  drunkards  of  the 
Mussulmans  within  a  century.  When  I  see  a  tipsy 
Mussulman  I  know  he  is  free  from  all  religion  and 
is  a  renegade,  though  he  calls  himself  a  Christian. 
We  are  Unitarians  and  do  not  believe  that  God  for- 
gives sin;  if  a  good  Mussulman  gets  tipsy  and  does 
mischief,  he  can't  pray  and  be  forgiven ;  but  a  Chris- 
tian can  get  drunk  a  hundred  times  and  he  is  for- 
given each  time  if  he  repents.  There  may  be  no 
limit  to  his  sin,  but  he  is  always  forgiven  if  he 
repents;  the  Christians  have  the  easiest  religion  of 
the  world." 

I  asked  him  if  he  thought  Christianity  would  not 
benefit  the  races  who  accept  Islamism. 

"  There  is  much  good  in  Christianity,"  he  replied, 
"  but  if  it  prevailed  in  Asia,  it  would  free  the  people 
from  direct  responsibility  to  God.  Do  the  Christians 
of  Europe  obey  the  teachings  of  Christ  ?  I  have  lived 
in  England,  and  I  have  not  seen  obedience.  There  is 
more  wickedness  in  London  than  in  all  Asia  Minor 
or  Arabia  and  Egypt ;  more  drunkenness  and  immor- 
ality and  crime.  If  the  English  people  were  forced 
to  practise  the  teaching  of  the  Prophet  for  twenty 
years,  as  we  are,  there  would  be  such  sobriety  and 
temperance  among  the  people  that  you  would  not 
recognise  them.     Christianity  suits  them,  but  Islam- 


180     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ism  is  best  for  our  people.  I  do  not  deny  the 
greatness  and  wisdom  of  Christ.  I  beUeve  in  his 
teachings;  the  Koran  does  not  condemn  him;  but 
Mohammed  gave  us  a  rehgion  better  suited  to  our 
people;  it  was  the  will  of  God.  If  Christianity  is 
better  for  us,  God  will  send  it  here;  he  knows  best 
what  we  need,  and  he  gives  us  what  is  best  for  us." 

These  were  the  thoughts  of  an  educated  Mussul- 
man who  had  seen  the  world.  In  another  conver- 
sation he  said :  "  The  Europeans  do  not  understand 
us.  It  is  impossible  to  separate  religious  from  politi- 
cal faith;  they  unite  Church  and  State,  but  Chris- 
tians ask  us  to  separate  them.  We  do  not  proselyte ; 
we  tolerate  all  religions;  but  the  preaching  of  the 
Western  religion  in  our  countries  disturbs  allegiance 
to  the  government.  The  Sultan  is  the  leader  of  our 
faith  and  rules  through  the  obedience  of  the  people 
to  him  as  the  leader ;  the  missionaries  and  the  Amer- 
icans say  he  is  not  a  true  leader,*  and  that  makes 
political  treason." 

I  remembered  that  Chancellor  Kent,  in  his  "  Com- 
mentaries," which  form  a  text-book  for  lawyers,  de- 
clares that  the  American  government  is  founded  on 
the  principles  of  Christianity ;  the  conclusions  of  this 
great  American  jurist  and  of  this  Mussulman  states- 
man were  the  same,  —  that  political  and  religious 
faith  are  interwoven  and  cannot  be  separated. 


WITH    A    KING  181 


CHAPTER   XX 

Cairo  —  General  Stone  —  The  Pyramids  —  In  the  Khedive's 
Palace  —  Egyptian  Donkeys  —  Drive  through  the  Streets 
of  Cairo  —  The  Massacre  of  the  Mamelukes  —  The  Museum 
and    Its  Curator  —  Received   at  Alexandria  by  the  Khedive 

—  Palace  "  Number  Three  "  —  The  Harem  —  Mohammedan 
Views  of  Woman's  Position  —  The  King  Returns  the  Khe- 
dive's Visit  —  Jewelled  Pipes  and  Coffee-Cups  —  The  Khe- 
dive's Views  on  Polygamy  —  Egypt  Under  the  Lion's  Paw 

—  The  King's  Belief  in  His  Divine  Origin  —  Dinner  with 
the  Khedive  —  Political  Unrest  —  Polygamy  a  Divine  Insti- 
tution —  Leprosy  —  The  Khedive's  Stables  —  Ball  at  the 
Palace  of  the  Ras-e!-Tin  —  Captain  Cook's  Old  Frigate,  the 
"Resolution"  —  A  Greek  Beauty — Historic  Ground:  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  Julius  Caesar,  Mark  Antony,  and  Cleo- 
patra —  Departure  for  Italy  —  The  Vice-Regal  Barge. 

AFTER  a  journey  of  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
we  reached  Cairo.  We  stepped  out  of  the  vice- 
regal carriage  upon  carpets  laid  over  the  stone  pave- 
ments. The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  greeted  the 
King  and  presented  to  him  some  of  the  high  offi- 
cials. Among  them  was  General  Charles  F.  Stone, 
an  American  soldier,  who,  after  the  Civil  War  in 
America,  took  service  in  the  Khedive's  army.  I  had 
known  him  in  the  early  days  of  that  war,  when  the 
political  generals  of  the  American  Senate  meddled 
in  the  military  campaigns  and  had  caused  his  arrest 
and  imprisonment,  without  charges  or  trial,  for  many 
months;  he  was  finally  discharged  and  restored  to 
service,  but  under  this  gross  humiliation,  had  aban- 
doned his  native  land  and  taken  service  with  the 
Khedive.     He  was  also  most  considerately  assigned 


182     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

by  the  Khedive  to  attend  our  party.  Passing  through 
lines  of  Egyptian  troops,  we  were  taken  to  the  palace 
of  Kasr-el-Moussa,  which  had  been  closed  for  the 
season,  but  was  reopened  for  the  royal  guest.  The 
Khedive  was  spending  the  summer  in  Alexandria 
and  had  assigned  a  palace  to  the  King  whenever  he 
should  reach  that  city. 

I  asked  General  Stone  why  the  Khedive  was  so 
hospitable  to  the  King  of  a  small  domain  of  which 
he  certainly  knew  little  if  anything.  He  replied  that 
the  reception  of  the  King  in  the  Orient  was  known 
to  the  Khedive's  government,  and  though  it  had  no 
diplomatic  relations  with  Hawaii  it  would  not  refuse 
the  courtesies  which  other  nations  had  shown.  We 
were  again  in  the  best  of  luck,  for  we  did  not  expect 
it.  Our  travels  in  Asia  had  taken  the  edge  off  our 
curiosity  to  see  the  courts  of  the  world,  but  we  were 
now  with  another  race  and  in  the  land  of  the  Nile 
and  the  Pyramids. 

We  drove  the  next  morning  over  a  splendid  high- 
way to  the  Pyramids.  Napoleon's  battle  with  the 
Mamelukes  interested  the  King  more  than  the  Pyra- 
mids ;  from  a  rising  spot  General  Stone  explained  to 
him  the  movements  and  strategy  of  the  battle ;  point- 
ing out  the  ground  over  which  the  Mamelukes  made 
their  reckless  charge  upon  the  French  infantry.  The 
King  thought  that  the  generalship  of  the  Mamelukes 
was  open  to  criticism;  General  Stone  agreed  with 
him.  The  ride  from  the  Pyramids  to  the  Sphinx 
was  made,  as  it  is  usually  made,  upon  very  small 
donkeys.  The  large  frame  of  the  King,  with  his 
clothing,  so  covered  his  donkey  that  its  identity  was 
lost;  the  King's  legs  nearly  touched  the  ground; 
it  appeared  at  a  short  distance  as  if  a  new  and  queer 


WITH    A    KING  183 

animal,  more  of  man  than  beast,  was  moving  about, 
supplied  with  two  heads,  six  legs,  and  a  tail.  While 
in  front  of  the  Sphinx,  the  little  donkey  brayed,  with 
his  companions  who  carried  the  suite;  the  Sphinx 
did  not  smile,  but  a  close  observer  might  have  noticed 
a  slight  cocking  of  an  eye  as  he  looked  upon  the  new 
member  of  the  zoological  world. 

In  the  streets  of  Cairo  our  vice-regal  carriage  had 
the  right  of  way.  Two  Arabs  dressed  in  white,  with 
embroidered  jackets  and  turbans,  and  legs  bare  below 
the  knees,  ran  in  front  of  it  with  long  graceful  steps, 
and  struck  those  in  the  street  who  were  in  the  way 
with  long,  slim  poles,  crying  to  all  with  loud,  harsh 
voices  to  open  the  way  for  the  Khedive's  carriage. 
We  saw  what  tourists  usually  see  in  the  old  city ;  the 
dreamy,  weird  life  of  the  Arabian  Nights;  laden 
camels  picking  their  way  through  narrow  streets  with 
their  heads  high  in  the  air;  deformed  beggars,  and 
almost  naked  water-carriers;  maniacal-looking  der- 
vishes tossing  up  their  arms ;  veiled  women  in  shrouds 
gliding  by;  and  in  the  narrowest  streets,  crowded 
with  donkeys  and  camels,  great  disturbance  and  fran- 
tic efforts  to  make  way  for  our  carriage.  At  the 
grand  alabaster  mosque  on  the  citadel,  overlooking 
the  city,  holy  men  received  us  at  the  entrance;  ser- 
vants placed  on  our  feet  cloth  overshoes,  which  pro- 
tected the  polished  floors.  We  were  led  through  deep, 
shadowy  archways,  and  between  graceful  alabaster 
columns,  with  rich  colouring,  to  the  ancient  citadel. 
We  stood  on  the  quadrangle  where  the  tragical  mas- 
sacre of  the  Mamelukes  took  place  by  the  order  of 
the  perfidious  Mohammed  Ali.  Fearing  these  aris- 
tocratic soldiers,  whose  ancestors  had  once  ruled 
Egypt,  he  invited  all  of  their  great  chiefs  to  a  ban- 


184     AROUND    THE     WORLD 

quet  of  reconciliation  in  the  citadel ;  they  came  on 
their  splendid  Arabian  horses,  and  while  they  sat 
at  a  gorgeous  feast  the  curtains  suddenly  fell  from 
the  sides  of  the  great  hall,  and  Mohammed  Ali's  sol- 
diers opened  fire  on  the  guests.  Only  one  daring 
young  Mameluke  escaped ;  he  sprang  from  the  table, 
mounted  his  horse,  dashed  through  the  inner  gate  as 
they  were  closing  it,  reached  the  parapet,  leaped  from 
it  into  the  deep  darkness  below,  rose  from  his  steed's 
crushed  body,  and  fled. 

After  we  had  dined  and  the  King  had  retired,  I 
followed  General  Stone  to  his  headquarters.  Here 
was  an  American,  of  a  nation  not  a  hundred  years 
old,  teaching  a  race  that  had  been  involved  in  wars 
for  fifty  centuries,  how  to  fight.  While  the  Egyptian 
sentinel  slowly  paced  the  stone  pavement  the  General 
described  the  political  disturbances  and  the  immedi- 
ate danger  of  insurrection. 

We  visited  the  Museum.  The  celebrated  Curator 
was  eloquent  in  his  description  of  "  mummies  and 
things."  His  life,  his  joy,  was  in  rummaging  in  the 
debris  which  the  old  centuries  had  packed  away  in 
decayed  temples.  What  was  musty  gave  him  in- 
spiration; the  discovery  of  an  ancient  dish  which 
the  infant  Rameses  used  five  thousand  years  before 
gave  him  more  pleasure  than  the  regeneration  of 
Egypt ;  the  discovery  of  an  embalmed  rabbit  was  of 
more  importance  than  the  conservation  of  the  waters 
of  the  Nile;  he  was  enriching  our  knowledge  of  the 
past  while  the  Egypt  of  to-day  was  in  darkness ;  like 
the  Chinese  epicure,  who  finds  his  best  dish  in  stale 
eggs,  he  found  pleasure  in  nothing  unless  it  was 
ancient. 

The  next  morning  we  left  for  Alexandria  in  the 


WITH    A    KING  185 

vice-regal  car,  reaching  the  station  at  eleven  o'clock. 
Carpets  were  laid  on  the  stone  pavements,  and  when 
the  King  stepped  out  of  the  car  the  Khedive,  Tewfik, 
who  succeeded  to  the  vice-regal  throne,  a  year  be- 
fore, took  the  King's  hand,  and  led  him  to  his  car- 
riage. This  was  driven,  with  a  bodyguard  of  cavalry, 
to  what  is  known  as  "  Number  Three  Palace,"  or  the 
Palace  of  Mahmondieh,  situated  about  three  miles 
from  the  city,  in  extensive  and  well-kept  grounds. 
The  Khedive  led  the  King  to  a  large  reception-room, 
and  after  a  brief  conversation  committed  him  again 
to  the  care  of  Sami-Pasha  and  Abbati-Bey.  The 
floors  of  the  palace  were  of  marble;  the  furniture 
was  mainly  European;  divans  of  rich  material  lay 
against  the  walls.  About  fifty  feet  from  the  palace 
was  a  large,  plain  building,  several  stories  in  height. 
The  shutters  of  its  many  windows  were  closed,  and 
there  was  no  sign  of  life  within  it.  Before  the  doors 
sat  large,  fat  eunuchs.  Here  lived  about  three  hun- 
dred women,  it  was  said,  who  were  the  wives  of  the 
former  Khedive.  We  watched  the  shutters,  and  from 
time  to  time  could  see  many  of  them  open  slightly, 
for  the  inmates  were  as  curious  to  see  the  King  as 
he  was  to  see  them.  We  warned  the  King  that  an 
unbridled  curiosity  might  bring  him  to  the  bowstring 
and  the  deposit  of  his  body  in  the  Nile.  Our  dis- 
tinguished companion,  Sami-Pasha,  told  us  that  the 
Khedive  was  a  monogamist,  and  these  women  were 
a  legacy  not  altogether  desirable ;  good  faith  forbade 
that  he  should  turn  them  out  in  the  streets.  I  asked 
him,  as  he  seemed  to  invite  discussion,  about  the  life 
of  the  women  of  the  harems.  He  replied  that  there 
was  no  hardship  in  it;  that  it  was  eagerly  sought 
for;   the  harem  was  a  condition  of  social  life;  these 


186     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

women,  like  birds  born  in  captivity,  were  contented, 
for  there  were  no  contrasts  of  life  in  their  experi- 
ences, which  created  a  desire  for  change.  "  No 
doubt,"  he  said,  "  they  might  become  restless  and 
miserable  if  they  were  allowed  for  a  time  the  free- 
dom of  European  life,  but  they  know  nothing  about 
that  freedom  and  are  satisfied."  I  asked  him  if 
the  thinking  Mohammedans  favoured  any  change  in 
the  institution  of  the  harem.  He  replied  that  it  was 
God's  will  that  present  conditions  existed,  and  God 
would  change  them  if  it  was  best.  His  placid  belief 
in  predestination  was  as  childlike  as  that  of  a  stern 
Calvinist.  He  said  he  had  seen  much  of  life  in 
Europe,  and  especially  England,  particularly  the  con- 
dition of  women ;  Christendom  had  much  to  boast  of, 
but  more  to  be  ashamed  of;  it  immeasurably  sur- 
passed Islamism  in  its  debaucheries.  "  The  European 
women,"  he  said,  "  did  not  appear  to  be  happier  than 
the  Mohammedan  women,  and  the  lot  of  the  wives 
of  the  poorer  class  was  certainly  not  better  than  the 
lot  of  the  wives  of  the  poorer  classes  in  Constanti- 
nople or  Cairo;  indeed,  he  said,  he  believed,  and 
some  intelligent  Europeans  held  the  same  opinions, 
that  Mohammedan  women  were  in  some  respects 
better  off.  Monogamy,  he  said,  might  be  one  of  the 
best  forms  of  civilisation,  but  God  knew  what  was 
best.  He  had  allowed  the  best  men,  by  the  records 
of  the  Old  Testament,  to  practise  polygamy,  and 
if  He  approved  of  it,  why  should  men  contradict 
Him?" 

At  five  o'clock  we  returned  the  Khedive's  visit. 
The  State  carriages,  with  Arabic  crests  on  the  door 
panels,  took  us  to  the  palace  within  the  city.  The 
cavalry  escort  was  unusually  large,  for  it  was  said 


WITH    A    KING  187 

that  the  outskirts  of  the  city  were  still  open  to  the 
incursions  of  Bedouins. 

The  Khedive  met  his  royal  friend  at  the  door  with 
a  very  cordial  manner.  He  led  us  through  several 
large  chambers,  with  furniture  of  a  European  rather 
than  an  Egyptian  fashion,  but  extremely  rich ;  divans 
were  evidently  more  popular  than  chairs.  As  soon 
as  we  were  seated  in  a  group,  servants  placed  before 
each  of  us  a  long  pipe,  with  a  bowl  studded  with 
diamonds.  At  each  bowl  a  servant  kneeled,  filled  it 
with  tobacco,  and  lighted  it.  Coffee  was  served  in 
gold  cups  also  studded  with  diamonds.  The  Khedive 
was  short,  rather  stout,  and  dark  in  feature;  his 
smile  was  genial;  there  was  no  evidence  of  his 
father's  stern  and  cruel  nature.  A  physiognomist 
might  call  him  irresolute  and  easy;  the  roaring  sea 
of  political  troubles  about  him  did  not  disturb  him; 
he  was  outwardly  as  tranquil  as  the  goat  among  the 
sacred  and  mischievous  monkeys  of  Benares.  He 
spoke  the  English  language  with  ease  and  directed 
his  questions  to  the  King's  travels  in  the  Far  East. 
The  presence  of  two  white  men  in  the  King's  suite 
led  him  to  ask  if  they  were  Hawaiians.  The  King 
replied  that  they  were  born  in  his  kingdom  and  were 
his  subjects,  but  were  of  American  descent.  The 
Khedive  asked  if  he  had  any  of  his  native  subjects 
in  his  Cabinet.  He  replied  that  he  usually  did  have 
at  least  one  native,  but  generally  he  selected  white 
men.  The  Khedive  nodded  to  this  answer  and  made 
no  reply;  his  thought,  I  suspect,  was  this:  "There 
now,  even  at  the  ends  of  the  earth  the  Anglo-Saxons 
are  grabbing  everything."  He  was  restless  himself 
under  English  dominance. 

When  the  King  said  he  intended  to  leave  shortly 


188     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

for  Italy,  the  Khedive  invited  him  to  a  State  banquet 
in  the  evening,  and  to  a  State  ball  on  the  following 
evening.  The  conversation  drifted  into  a  com- 
parison of  the  customs  of  the  Egyptians  and  the 
Hawaiians.  The  Khedive  asked  if  polygamy  v^as 
practised  in  the  Hawaiian  kingdom,  and  when  he 
learned  that  it  was  not,  he  said,  "  I  have  only  one 
wife;  I  believe  it  is  the  best  way.  The  people  of 
Europe  think  it  is  best  for  us."  He  is,  however, 
a  true  Mohammedan.  His  father  Ismail,  who  was 
a  cruel,  cold,  and  extravagant  despot,  squeezing  the 
life  out  of  the  fellahin,  said  to  him  when  he  was 
young,  "  Why  do  you  remain  a  Mussulman  ?  Go 
over  to  the  Europeans.  Be  like  me.  I  am  now  a 
Christian."  He  said  that  his  children  were  receiving 
education  in  the  English  language.  I  knew  that 
while  he  spoke  the  paw  of  the  British  lion  rested  on 
Egypt,  and  he  was  without  the  substance  of  power; 
no  doubt  he  was  more  contented  under  that  great 
paw  than  if  he  were  exposed  to  the  teeth  of  the 
European  wolves  that  howled  around  the  Pyramids. 
The  King  said  he  had  been  in  the  Suez  Canal  for  a 
short  distance.  "  Yes,"  said  the  Khedive,  "  it  is  a 
great  work,  but  it  has  made  much  trouble  for  us." 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  proud  of  the  wisdom  of  his 
uncle  Said,  who,  when  Khedive,  built  the  Canal 
under  the  guidance  of  De  Lesseps,  though  the  Eng- 
lish engineers  said  it  was  an  impracticable  scheme. 
He  replied  that  the  English  did  not  believe  in  De 
Lesseps  because  he  was  a  Frenchman.  He  turned 
to  the  King  and  said,  "  You  must  see  De  Lesseps 
when  you  are  in  Paris;    he  is  a  very  able  man." 

When  we  had  returned  to  our  palace,  and  had  cast 
ourselves  on  the  divans,  and  were  smoking  the  fra- 


WITH    A    KING  189 

grant  tobacco  brought  by  the  attendants,  the  King 
began  to  display  his  knowledge  of  Egyptian  history. 
He  said  the  Egyptians,  like  the  Japanese,  the  Chinese, 
and  the  Siamese,  traced  the  origin  of  their  sovereigns 
to  a  divine  source.  I  asked  him  if  he  believed  that 
his  own  origin  was  divine.  He  said  that  though  he 
was  elected  King  it  was  quite  probable  that  he  was 
selected  for  reasons  which  were  peculiar.  This  vague 
statement  indicated  to  me  that  his  mind  was  working 
on  the  subject.  I  told  him  that  he  was  perhaps  on 
the  very  spot  occupied  by  Alexander  the  Great  when 
he  selected  this  site  for  the  city;  it  was  here  that  he 
fell  in  doubt  about  his  own  origin,  and  so  he  pushed 
out  into  the  desert  to  the  Temple  of  Ammon  to  get 
out  of  the  priests  a  declaration  that  he  was  divine. 
Here  was  an  excellent  opportunity  for  him,  the  King, 
to  take  the  Feather  Cloak,  Robert,  and  a  donkey,  push 
out  into  the  desert  to  the  same  temple,  and  "  suck  " 
up  some  information  about  his  own  origin ;  he  could 
bring  back  some  of  the  hieroglyphics,  which  might 
be  deciphered  so  as  to  declare  his  own  divinity,  and 
no  doubt  the  Khedive  would  certify  to  its  correctness. 
He  would  then  return  to  his  own  people,  not  with 
some  base  information  about  useful  things,  but  with 
the  precious  discovery  that  he  came  down  from  the 
gods.  He  made  no  reply  to  this,  but  afterward  told 
his  Chamberlain  that  the  Minister  trifled  with  very  im- 
portant matters.  It  had  touched  a  subject  on  which 
the  royal  mind  was  reflecting  from  time  to  time. 

In  the  evening  we  dined  with  the  Khedive.  About 
forty  guests  were  present,  men  of  different  races,  his 
own  Cabinet,  and  intimate  friends,  the  diplomatic 
representatives  of  England,  France,  and  Austria,  who 
had  substantially  taken  the  political  power  out  of  his 


190      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

hands.  The  table  service  was  of  soHd  silver,  with, 
of  course,  flowers  in  profusion. 

There  were  at  this  time  symptoms  of  political  un- 
rest among  the  Egyptians,  owing  to  the  joint  domina- 
tion of  the  European  Commissioners,  since  the  recent 
accession  of  Tewfik  to  the  vice-regal  office,  —  some 
rumblings  of  far  thunder;  but  the  Viceroy  said  he 
hoped  that  there  would  be  no  disturbance.  Within 
about  a  year  from  the  time  of  this  banquet,  Arabi- 
Pasha  rose  in  insurrection,  the  city  was  bombarded, 
and  the  very  splendid  hall  in  which  we  dined  was 
burned.  Looking  back  upon  this  event,  I  recalled 
the  men  of  many  races  who  quietly  sat  around  the 
table,  under  the  lights  of  the  great  chandeliers,  amid 
vases  filled  with  flowers,  and  music  in  the  court-yard ; 
the  Khedive  helplessly  in  the  grasp  of  the  Great 
Powers,  but  chatting  pleasantly  with  the  King  of  the 
little  islands  at  the  cross-roads  of  the  Pacific,  which 
were  as  important  to  the  commerce  of  the  Pacific  as 
Egypt  on  the  highway  to  India,  and  a  king  as  help- 
less too,  before  the  manifest  destiny  of  America;  two 
rulers  over  weak  nations  lying  in  the  way  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  march. 

I  asked  the  Medical  Director,  who  was  also  a 
devout  Mussulman,  about  the  condition  of  women  in 
the  harems.  He  replied  that  they  thought  their  con- 
dition was  superior  to  that  of  the  married  women 
of  Europe,  who  insisted  on  their  husbands  remaining 
at  home,  without  giving  them  liberty,  which  put  them 
in  a  sort  of  domestic  slavery ;  the  women  believed  in 
the  Koran,  and  therefore  were  contented.  He  said, 
too,  that  God  had  willed  polygamy,  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  make  the  devout  believe  that  it  existed  in 
defiance  of  the  will  of  the  Almighty. 


The  Viceroy  of  Egypt  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  191 

The  guests  were  placed  at  the  table  according  to 
rank;  but  having  now  had  much  experience  in  dull 
table  companions  at  royal  banquets,  I  had  asked  our 
good  friend,  Sami-Pasha,  to  ignore  my  own  rank 
and  place  me  near  some  person  who  was  familiar 
with  Egyptian  affairs.  I  was  placed  next  to  the 
Medical  Director  of  the  government,  who  at  once 
spoke  of  the  leprosy  which  prevailed  in  Hawaii  and 
had  given  our  earthly  Paradise  a  bad  name.  He  had 
his  theory  about  the  mysterious  disease,  but  it  failed 
to  fit  the  facts  within  our  own  experience.  He  knew 
every  guest  at  the  table,  and  for  three  hours  described 
to  me,  with  diplomatic  reserve  at  times,  the  crisis 
which  was  approaching,  though  he  hoped  that  it 
would  not  end  in  insurrection. 

After  the  banquet,  coffee  was  served  in  jewelled 
cups.  The  coffee-bearer  wore  a  rich  uniform  over 
his  shoulder,  like  a  Hussar's  jacket.  In  one  hand 
he  carried  a  gold  salver  on  which  were  the  cups; 
with  the  other  he  held  a  gold  frame  containing  a 
deep  gold  coffee-urn  which  nearly  touched  the  floor. 

The  following  day  we  visited  the  Khedive's  stables 
of  Arabian  horses.  The  King  and  Chamberlain 
found  much  delight  in  the  superb  animals.  They 
were  brought  out  one  by  one  for  their  inspection, 
and  the  master  of  the  stables  declared  that  few  per- 
sons more  quickly  detected  the  fine  points  in  the 
animals.  When  the  Khedive  heard  of  this,  he  offered 
one  of  them  to  the  King,  who  would  have,  if  we  had 
consented,  taken  him  with  us  to  America  and  Hawaii. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  a  grand  ball  at  the  palace 
of  the  Ras-el-Tin,  which  was  bombarded  and  de- 
stroyed by  the  British  during  the  next  year.  Ar- 
riving at  eleven  o'clock,  a  grand  usher  received  us; 


192     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

we  were  led  up  a  broad  marble  stairway  to  the  first 
landing,  where  we  passed  through  two  lines  of 
officials  to  a  room  in  which  two  more  lines  of  higher 
officials  were  drawn  up.  Passing  these,  we  entered 
the  grand  reception-room,  which  was  in  the  form  of 
a  great  dome,  with  marvellous  frescoes.  Around  it 
were  divans,  and  strips  of  rich  carpet  ran  around  its 
sides  on  a  wood  floor  polished  in  black.  Massive 
chandeliers  cast  a  brilliant  but  soft  light  through 
the  great  hall.  We  approached  the  Khedive,  who 
shook  our  hands  and  placed  us  on  his  right.  Here 
we  could  see  the  guests  as  they  entered  and  were 
presented.  All  the  world  was  there ;  but  the  Italians 
and  Greeks  were  the  most  numerous;  many  of  the 
Turks  appeared  in  European  dress,  but  retained  the 
fez  cap.  The  middle-aged  Italian  women  were  not 
handsome,  and  the  Grecian  women  were  homely,  but 
all  of  them  had  graceful  manners. 

The  belle  of  the  ball-room  was,  however,  a  Grecian, 
the  wife  of  the  Greek  Consul.  She  had  a  clear  pink- 
and-white  complexion,  and  her  Parisian  dress  was 
rather  picturesque  from  some  distinctive  Grecian 
ornaments.  As  no  ladies  of  the  court  were  pres- 
ent, the  King,  on  the  Khedive's  invitation,  se- 
lected a  walking  partner  from  the  foreign  women. 
He  naturally  chose  the  beautiful  Greek,  but  their 
promenade  was  a  silent  march,  as  they  found  no 
language  which  they  could  use  in  common,  and  the 
few  pantomimic  expressions  which  they  exchanged 
were  quite  spiritless. 

It  was  a  Mussulman  fete-day.  From  the  high  bal- 
cony of  the  palace  there  was  an  excellent  view  of 
the  harbour  illuminated  by  the  light  of  the  Egyptian 
warships  and  the  rapid  bursting  of  rockets.     The 


WITH    A    KING  193 

British  Consul  pointed  out  to  me  an  old  coal-receiv- 
ing hulk  lying  in  the  shadows  across  the  bay.  It  was, 
he  said,  the  frigate  "  Resolution,"  in  which  Captain 
Cook  sailed  when  he  discovered  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
This  was  another  curious  incident  which  connected 
our  little  kingdom  with  places  we  visited.  From  her 
deck,  as  she  lay  in  Kealakakua  Bay  ("the  pathway 
of  the  gods  "),  the  great  Captain  had  landed,  and  his 
head  had  been  fatally  punched  with  the  spear  of  the 
King's  predecessor.  Here  she  now  lay,  rusty,  dis- 
mantled, and  dirty,  with  the  Sphinx  winking  its 
sympathetic  eye  toward  her.  Yet  she  was  among 
"  the  first  that  ever  burst  into  that  silent  sea  "  of  the 
Pacific.  I  called  the  King's  attention  to  it,  and  with 
the  beautiful  Greek  he  came  to  the  balcony  and  looked 
at  this  old  fighting-ship  in  a  marine  almshouse. 

One's  fancy  could  picture  a  pretty  scene.  The 
King  stood  on  soil  more  famous  in  history  than  any 
he  had  yet  visited.  He  could  "  toss  a  biscuit,"  no 
doubt,  to  the  spot  where  Alexander  the  Great  stood 
while  he  watched  the  flight  of  ducks  which  alighted 
here  and  fixed  the  seat  of  the  city  of  Alexandria; 
over  yonder  Julius  Cjesar  received  Cleopatra  rolled 
up  in  a  mattress;  he  stood  within  a  few  steps  of 
where  Pompey's  head  was  brought  to  him  on  a 
platter.  Here  Mark  Antony,  governing  one  third 
of  the  world,  "  reeled  through  the  streets  at  noon," 
drunk  with  his  love  of  the  enchanting  Queen,  and 
then  fell  on  his  own  sword  because  he  was  conquered ; 
near  by  was  the  mausoleum  where  the  "  matchless 
dark  beauty  "  barred  out  Octavius  CcTsar,  the  ruler 
of  another  third  of  the  world,  and  in  her  robes  and 
beneath  her  crown  untied  the  knot  of  her  life  "  with 
the  teeth  of  an  asp."     And  looking  down  over  this 

13 


194      AROUND    THE    WOULD 

place  of  grand  tragedies  stood  a  Polynesian  king 
with  a  beautiful  Greek  on  his  arm,  perhaps  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Helen  of  Troy,  while  over  across  the 
bay  lay  the  hulk  of  the  old  ship  which  once  bore  the 
discoverer  of  his  kingdom.  I  noticed  at  the  time 
these  curious  coincidences  for  the  use  of  our  poet 
laureate,  but  they  gave  the  King  no  inspiration.  I 
tried  to  impress  on  him  the  romantic  character  of  the 
events  which  happened  here.  But  he  replied  with 
simplicity  and  most  directly :  "  Those  Romans  you 
are  talking  about  only  made  asses  of  themselves  for 
a  woman."  I  replied  most  respectfully  that  making 
asses  of  themselves  by  sovereigns  were  the  prominent 
facts  of  history  as  it  was  written,  and  if  the  Record- 
ing Angel  graciously  permitted  him  to  inspect  the 
records  when  he  got  into  the  next  world,  this  opinion 
would  be  confirmed.  He  believed  that  I  had  cast  a 
slur  upon  the  brotherhood  of  monarchs,  and  resented 
it  by  saying  that  Ministers  of  monarchs  were  often 
asses  too.  This  proposition  I  candidly  assented  to, 
but  it  only  proved,  I  urged,  how  poorly  the  world 
had  been  governed,  and  how  prudent  and  wise  it 
would  be  to  suck  some  wisdom  out  of  the  events 
which  had  taken  place  on  the  spot  upon  which  we 
stood.  The  Khedive  joined  us.  We  pointed  out 
the  old  "  Resolution  "  and  repeated  to  him  her  story. 
Cook's  voyages  and  discoveries  he  had  not  heard  of. 
The  tragedy  of  his  violent  death  led  him  to  ask 
whether  the  British  ever  punished  his  slayers.  The 
King  said :  "  Let  us  drink  a  toast  to  the  old  ship." 
The  wine  was  brought,  and  on  the  grand  balcony, 
with  the  harbour  lighted  with  rockets  and  lanterns, 
the  King  raised  his  glass  and  said,  "  Here  's  to  the 
'  Resolution.'  " 


WITH    A    KING  195 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  left  this  palace 
of  the  Ras-el-Tin,  and  as  the  steamer  left  early  in 
the  morning  for  Italy  the  King  bade  the  Khedive 
good-bye.  Both  walked  slowly  together  through 
the  splendid  halls,  between  rows  of  bowing  courtiers 
and  attendants,  to  the  Viceroy's  carriage,  and  there 
they  parted. 

We  returned  to  our  palace,  the  Mahmondieh,  with 
the  troop  of  horse  galloping  with  us.  We  lay  down 
on  the  divans  for  several  hours,  and  at  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning  were  served  with  coffee,  for  the  hour 
of  leaving  the  city  was  seven  o'clock.  We  left  our 
palace  with  the  usual  ceremony ;  many  of  the  shutters 
of  the  great  silent  house  near  by  moved  slightly,  for 
the  harem  was  still  curious  to  see  the  King.  At  the 
early  hour  of  six  we  found  the  officers  of  the  marine 
service  waiting  for  us.  .  Our  constant  companions, 
Sami-Pasha,  Abbati-Bey,  and  General  Stone,  were 
with  us.  We  stepped  into  a  large  barge  in  which  sat 
twenty-four  oarsmen  in  red  shirts  and  fez  caps. 
Over  the  stern  was  a  silk  canopy  with  gold  tassels. 
The  cushions  were  of  blue  velvet  embroidered  in 
gold.  Rich  Turkish  rugs  covered  the  floor.  The 
stroke  of  the  twenty-four  oars  was  slow  and  stately; 
it  expressed  a  royal  dignity.  Perhaps  the  ancestors 
of  the  oarsmen  had  in  these  very  waters  pulled  the 
oar  when  the  Egyptian  Queen  sat  under  a  like  canopy, 
and  her  barge,  "  like  a  burnished  throne,  burned  on 
the  water." 


196      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER    XXI 

Comments  of  Egyptian  Press  —  The  King's  Masonic  Rank  — 
Voyage  to  Naples  —  A  Comet  —  Catalonia  —  Volcanoes  of 
Hawaii  and  Sicily  —  Divine  Stoppage  of  Lava-Flows  —  An 
Italian  Adventurer  in  Honolulu  —  He  Reappears  at  Naples 
and  Abducts  the  King  —  Pursuit  and  Recapture  of  His 
Majesty  —  Visit  to  the  King  and  Queen  of  Italy  —  The 
Adventurer  Dismissed  —  Italian  Poems  of  Adulation  to 
Strangers  —  Ex-Khedive  Ismail  Calls  —  Troubles  with 
Hotel-Keepers  Begin  —  News  of  Attack  on  President 
Garfield. 

THE  captain  of  the  Italian  steamer  received  his 
royal  guest  at  the  gangway.  Sami-Pasha  and 
Abbati-Bey  bade  us  good-bye,  and  the  forts  and  an 
Egyptian  frigate  fired  royal  salutes.  The  old  "  Reso- 
lution," lying  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbour,  stared 
at  us  out  of  her  "  dead-eyes  "  and  seemed  to  mutter : 
"  Just  a  hundred  years  ago,  less  two  years,  I  dis- 
covered your  kingdom,  my  royal  friend,  and  here 
I  am,  a  naval  coal-scuttle." 

The  French  and  English  papers  of  Egypt  highly 
commended  the  King's  appearance  and  behaviour; 
one  of  the  French  papers  placed  him  above  some  of 
the  European  monarchs  in  intelligence  and  education ; 
others  said,  he  was  "  a  man  of  noble  presence,  with 
a  benevolent  expression "  and  "  with  distinguished 
manners." 

The  Masonic  Fraternity  of  Alexandria  paid  the 
King  great  attention,  because  he  held  high  rank  in 
that  body.     It  was  said  that  he  delivered  an  address 


WITH    A    KING  197 

before  them  and  surprised  them  with  his  knowledge 
of  the  history  of  their  Order. 

The  voyage  toward  Naples  was  over  a  glassy  sea. 
Late  one  day  the  island  of  Sicily  loomed  up  on  our 
left,  but  as  the  night  came  on  a  comet  appeared  in 
the  cloudless  sky;  at  first  a  large  star  with  a  dim 
white  trail  which  became  denser  as  the  darkness 
deepened  until  it  had  the  shape  of  a  half-closed  fan. 
It  pointed  toward  the  earth,  with  its  tail  flung  back 
to  the  zenith.  Under  it,  in  the  clear  sky,  the  outlines 
of  ^tna  were  faintly  drawn.  We  anchored  in  the 
port  of  Catalonia,  and  in  the  early  morning  visited 
the  vaults  of  the  old  Aragonese  kings,  the  chapel  and 
tomb  of  St.  Agatha,  the  Roman  baths,  and  the  mon- 
astery of  the  Benedictines.  The  lava-flows  of  ^tna 
were  quite  similar  in  form  to  those  of  the  Hawaiian 
group.  We  were  told  a  legend  of  an  eruption  which 
had  its  counterpart  in  our  own  kingdom.  It  was  said 
by  the  believers  of  the  Roman  Church  that  when  the 
molten  lava  of  ^tna  reached  the  monastery,  the 
monks,  in  a  supphant  procession,  holding  before 
them  the  veil  of  St.  Agatha,  offered  up  prayers,  and 
the  flow  was  stayed  within  fifteen  feet  of  the  build- 
ing. While  we  were  on  this  tour  a  stream  of  lava 
over  half  a  mile  in  width  from  the  vast  Hawaiian 
volcano,  Mauna  Loa,  reached  the  outskirts  of  a 
settlement  about  thirty  miles  from  its  outbreak. 
Christian  prayers  besought  the  Alniighty  to  arrest  it, 
but  they  did  not  avail.  Thereupon  an  old  native 
Princess  of  the  royal  line,  with  some  superstitious 
natives,  placed  themselves  in  front  of  the  molten 
mass  and  made  the  ancient  orthodox  offering  of  a 
white  pig  to  the  goddess  of  the  volcano.  The  flow 
stopped,  —  conclusive   evidence  to  the   superstitious 


198      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

natives  of  the  power  of  their  own  gods,  and  the  con- 
tempt of  the  goddess  Pele  for  the  prayers  of  the 
white  people.  It  was  a  simple  reasoning  from  an 
apparent  cause  to  an  apparent  effect. 

In  the  upward  slope  of  the  land,  the  belts  of  ver- 
dure at  different  altitudes,  the  cones  on  its  flanks, 
and  the  cloud-capped  summit,  the  contour  of  ^tna 
resembled  that  of  the  vast  extinct  volcano  of  Hale- 
a-ka-la  ("house  of  the  sun")  upon  the  island  of 
Maui,  one  of  the  Hawaiian  group.  But  the  Hawaiian 
crater,  with  a  depth  of  two  thousand  feet  and  a 
diameter  of  nine  miles,  surpassed  ^tna,  and,  indeed, 
every  other  volcano  of  the  earth,  in  grandeur. 

Before  we  reached  Naples  the  Chamberlain  and  I 
anticipated  some  annoyance  when  we  should  land. 
A  few  months  before  we  left  our  kingdom,  an  Italian 
adventurer,  one  Signor  Moreno,  quietly  arrived  in 
Honolulu  by  a  tramp  steamer  from  Hongkong,  and 
had,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  King's  advisers, 
placed  before  him  a  brilliant  and  fascinating  scheme 
for  the  "  development "  of  his  country  and  the  exal- 
tation of  the  throne.  It  involved  the  securing  of  a 
large  loan  of  money  from  the  Chinese  and  an  over- 
whelming Chinese  immigration,  the  building  of  rail- 
ways and  steamships,  and,  above  all,  the  suppression 
of  the  missionary  and  foreign  influence  in  the  govern- 
ment. The  King  disliked  the  conservative  ways  of 
the  whites,  and  any  scheme  that  supplied  him  with 
large  sums  of  money  would  relieve  him  from  depend- 
ence on  them.  Signor  Moreno's  scheme,  therefore, 
captivated  him ;  his  Polynesian  mind  did  not  see 
that  it  was  utterly  visionary  and  impracticable,  and, 
if  executed,  would  be  disastrous  to  him.  He  sud- 
denly dismissed  his  reputable  Ministers,  and  selected 


Humberto,  King  of  Italy  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  199 

a  new  Cabinet,  with  the  adventurer  as  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs.  The  white  population,  having  the 
wealth  and  intelligence  of  the  kingdom,  rose  up,  and 
with  the  aid  of  the  foreign  diplomats,  who  discredited 
Moreno,  peremptorily  demanded  of  the  King  his  dis- 
missal. The  King  unwillingly  consented,  and  formed 
a  new  Cabinet,  of  which  I  became  a  member.  The 
adventurer  was  driven  out  of  the  kingdom,  but  he 
retained  the  King's  confidence.  He  took  with  him  to 
Italy,  at  the  King's  request,  three  native  youths,  to 
be  educated  in  the  military  and  naval  schools  of  that 
country;  these,  when  educated,  were  to  be  placed  in 
charge  of  the  King's  forces,  to  aid  him  in  suppressing 
his  white  subjects  if  they  were  troublesome.  We 
learned  in  Alexandria  from  the  valet  that  letters  had 
been  received  by  the  King  from  Signor  Moreno, 
stating  that  he  would  meet  him  in  Naples,  and  he 
had  arranged  for  his  presentation  to  the  King  of 
Italy.  The  King,  though  on  the  most  cordial  terms 
with  his  suite,  knew  that  they  would  oppose  any  inter- 
course with  the  Italian,  and  he  therefore  resorted  to 
some  "  diplomacy  "  without  their  knowledge.  Mo- 
reno had  also  foolishly  advised  the  King  to  secure 
from  the  European  sovereigns  a  guarantee  of  the 
perpetual  independence  of  his  kingdom;  it  would 
prevent  any  encroachments  by  the  United  States  on 
his  sovereignty.  While  the  King  had,  through  pres- 
sure, discarded  the  clever  adventurer,  who  was  with- 
out standing  in  any  community,  he  still  had  faith  in 
his  wild  schemes  and  had  determined  to  renew  his 
acquaintance  with  him.  Even  if  there  should  be  no 
practical  results  from  their  intercourse,  it  would 
show  his  white  subjects  that  he  was  personally  quite 
independent  and  that  he  resented  their  interference. 


200     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

As  we  anchored  at  Naples,  the  Italian  admiral,  the 
general  commanding  the  forces,  and  the  mayor  of  the 
city,  with  many  officials,  led  by  Moreno,  appeared  on 
board.  Instead  of  seeking  a  presentation  to  the  King 
through  his  Chamberlain,  the  adventurer,  after  he 
had  been  cordially  received  by  the  King,  assumed 
charge  of  him,  and  presented  to  him  the  distinguished 
visitors,  who  understood,  we  afterward  learned,  that 
the  King  still  retained  the  Italian  in  his  service  as  a 
private  adviser  and  a  guardian  of  the  Hawaiian 
youth.  The  King  did  not  wish  openly  to  discredit  his 
ex-Minister,  while  the  suite,  unfortunately,  were 
unable  to  speak  the  Italian  language.  Signor  Moreno 
privately  presented  the  Italian  officials,  and  the  Mayor 
of  Naples  cordially  welcomed  the  King  to  Italy.  The 
suite  stood  at  a  short  distance,  contriving  means  to 
grapple  with  the  nerve  and  audacity  of  the  adven- 
turer, who  impudently  smiled  upon  them,  for  he 
was  now  the  master  of  ceremonies  and  acted  as 
interpreter. 

A  written  address  was  now  read  to  the  King  by 
some  friend  of  the  ex-Minister;  it  pronounced  the 
King  to  be  a  wise  and  far-seeing  monarch  and 
thanked  him  for  having  appointed  a  noble-minded 
Italian  to  the  office  of  Cabinet  Minister,  and  it  ex- 
pressed the  profound  regret  of  the  Italian  nation  that 
wicked  men  had  forced  him  to  remove  such  an  able 
counsellor. 

The  King  was  bewildered,  and  allowed  himself  to 
be  taken  on  shore  by  the  adventurer  to  the  Hotel  des 
Etrangers,  leaving  his  suite  alone  on  the  deck  of  the 
steamer,  kingless  and  dumfounded.  The  King  be- 
lieved, when  he  left,  that  they  were  in  a  boat  closely 
following  him. 


Margherita,  Queen  of  Italy  (i88i), 


WITH    A    KING  201 

There  was  something  rather  comical  in  the  depart- 
ure of  the  suite  from  the  steamer,  in  a  boat,  alone, 
without  knowing  the  Italian  language,  without  ac- 
quaintance, and  in  pursuit  of  an  abducted  monarch. 
We  suspected,  however,  that  the  King  had  been  taken 
to  the  Hotel  des  Etrangers,  and  drove  there.  We 
found  him  with  his  ex-Minister  in  his  private  parlour, 
and  at  once  asked  the  King  whether  he  desired  our 
presence.  He  asked  us  to  remain  in  the  room,  and 
as  we  did  so  the  adventurer  soon  left.  We  told  the 
King  that  if  we  should  send  to  his  kingdom  the  story 
of  the  events  of  the  preceding  hour  his  throne  would 
be  in  immediate  danger.  He  replied  that  he  did  not 
realise  the  compromising  situation  in  which  he  was 
placed.  He  then  left  to  us  the  disposition  of  the 
affair,  and  we  excluded  Signor  Moreno  from  the 
King's  apartments  unless  we  were  present  at  all  inter- 
views. He  claimed  that  he  needed  funds  for  the 
education  of  the  Hawaiian  boys ;  this  we  provided 
for  by  putting  them  in  charge  of  the  King's  Consul- 
General  at  Hamburg. 

The  King  and  Queen  of  Italy  were  temporarily 
in  the  city,  and  the  King  sent  an  aide  requesting  his 
Hawaiian  Majesty  to  call  informally  at  the  palace 
the  next  day.  We  called  at  two  o'clock.  There  was 
a  parade  of  troops  and  the  music  of  bugles.  We 
entered  a  reception-room  from  the  windows  of  which 
was  a  view  of  the  great  bay,  and  of  Vesuvius  with  a 
spiral  smoke  curling  up  from  its  summit. 

King  Humberto  and  Queen  Margherita  entered, 
received  our  sovereign  cordially,  and  led  him  to 
an  adjoining  room,  where  they  conversed  for  half 
an  hour.  Both  Humberto  and  his  Queen  were 
plainly  dressed;    they  had  come  to  Naples  for  rest, 


202      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

and  were  pleased,  they  said,  to  meet  the  King  of 
Hawaii. 

While  the  sovereigns  were  conversing,  the  suite 
engaged  in  conversation  with  the  ladies  of  the  court. 
When  we  spoke  in  English,  they  were  surprised,  for 
they  expected  we  would  speak  in  Hawaiian  and  that 
an  interpreter  would  aid  us.  The  Queen's  sister  said 
it  was  believed  that  the  King  of  Hawaii  had  come 
to  meet  his  natural  sons,  who  were  in  the  military 
and  naval  schools,  and  it  must  give  him  great  pleasure 
to  do  so.  We  replied  that  the  young  men  were  not 
related  to  the  King,  which  surprised  them.  We  now 
detected  the  adventurer's  game;  he  was  securing 
consideration  from  the  Italian  government  as  the 
guardian  of  those  who,  he  had  confidentially  stated, 
were  the  natural  sons  of  the  Hawaiian  King. 

Their  Majesties  now  returned  to  the  reception- 
room  and  joined  in  the  general  conversation.  The 
Queen  was  not  a  handsome  woman,  but  the  aureole 
of  royalty  about  her  person,  like  well-adjusted  lights, 
set  off  her  features  to  good  advantage.  She  was  not 
stately,  nor  had  she  an  impressive  presence,  but  was 
gracious  and  simple.  By  her  side  was  the  little 
Crown  Prince;  she  seemed  to  have  a  pathetic  ex- 
pression as  she  took  and  held  his  hand.  Their  Italian 
Majesties  knew  something  about  the  Hawaiian 
group  through  persons  of  the  court  who  had  visited 
them;  they  asked  about  their  countrymen  who  had 
settled  there.  The  Queen  was  greatly  pleased  when 
she  learned  that  many  of  the  Hawaiian  subjects  were 
good  Catholics. 

We  then  retired.  King  Humberto  walked  to  the 
steps  of  the  carriage  with  our  King;  the  bugle 
sounded,  the  troops  presented  arms,  and  we  returned 


WITH    A    KING  203 

to  our  hotel.  Within  an  hour  King  Humberto  re- 
turned the  visit.  He  said  that  the  Minister  of  For- 
eign Affairs  in  Rome  would  show  our  King  the 
attention  due  to  his  rank,  and  regretted  his  own 
absence  from  the  capital.  After  he  left,  our  King 
informed  us  that  his  Italian  Majesty,  in  their  inter- 
view in  the  drawing-room,  had  assumed  that  the 
native  youths  were  his  sons,  but  he  had  corrected 
his  error  and  regretted  that  the  adventurer  had 
misled  him. 

Moreno  now  abandoned  his  scheme  of  connecting 
himself  with  the  King,  but  he  asked  to  be  permitted 
to  accompany  him  to  Rome  as  an  old  and  faithful 
friend.  The  suite  advised  the  King  not  to  compro- 
mise himself  further  with  him,  and  his  request  was 
denied. 

The  following  day  we  visited  the  ruins  of  Pompeii 
and  the  spots  which  usually  attract  tourists. 

The  Italians  have  a  custom  of  addressing  poems 
of  admiration  to  their  friends  or  to  distinguished 
visitors;  the  inspiration  of  the  poet,  in  many  cases, 
being  stimulated  by  the  hope  of  some  substantial 
reward.  Numerous  Italians  eagerly  sought  decora- 
tions from  the  King.  One  devised  a  plan  of  securing 
one  through  his  Minister,  by  addressing  him  in 
verse,  — 

"  All  Egregio  Signore 
Sua  Eccellenza " 

The  poet  asked  excuse  for  his  boldness  in  offering 
spontaneous  words  of  praise  to  the  Minister's  noble 
merits  and  his  splendid  virtues;  he  declared  that  all 
Italy  breathed  through  his  words  as  he  struck  his 
lyre  in  honour  of  one  who  was  the  glory  of  Hawaii 
and  one  of  the  honourable  men  of  the  earth.    It  was 


204      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

an  infinite  pleasure  to  address  one  who  was  entitled 
to  adoration ;  the  Minister  was  kindly  asked  to  accept 
the  loyalty  of  the  song. 

It  was  signed  by  one  Beneduce,  who  called  the 
next  day,  sent  up  his  card,  and,  after  some  prelimi- 
nary conversation,  humbly  asked  the  gift  of  a  deco- 
ration. The  King,  as  well  as  the  Chamberlain, 
received  many  fervid  effusions.  A  large  number, 
perhaps  the  most  of  them,  were  not  followed  by 
applications  for  decorations,  but  were  only  harmless 
ways  of  gratifying  the  Italian  emotions. 

During  the  next  day  Ismail,  the  ex-Khedive  of 
Egypt,  and  the  father  of  the  present  Khedive,  called 
on  the  King.  He  was  short,  fat,  blear-eyed,  and  had 
reddish  hair.  When  he  was  deposed  by  the  Powers 
two  years  before  this  time,  because  he  was  extrava- 
gant beyond  control  and  oppressed  the  fcllahin,  he 
selected  forty  of  his  wives,  gathered  the  richest  fur- 
niture of  his  palace,  took  the  state  jewelry,  and 
moved  to  a  residence  near  Naples.  During  his  reign 
he  had  invested  vast  sums  in  the  cultivation  of  sugar- 
cane and  in  factories  for  the  making  of  sugar.  He 
said  that  he  had  heard  of  the  sugar-production  of  the 
Hawaiian  group,  and  asked  many  questions  about  the 
labour  used  by  the  planters ;  he  believed  that  Egypt 
would  become  one  of  the  largest  sugar-producing 
countries  of  the  earth,  but  he  had  no  longer  any  in- 
terest in  such  matters,  as  he  had  been  sent  away.  He 
asked  the  King  to  make  him  a  visit,  but,  he  said,  he 
was  now  only  a  private  citizen  and  not  entitled  to 
a  visit  from  him. 

Our  troubles  with  the  rapacious  hotel-keepers  of 
Europe  now  began.  We  were  charged  exorbitant 
prices  without  mercy.    In  the  Orient  royal  gratuities 


The  Crown  Prince  of  Italy  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  205 

to  servants  In  the  palaces  which  we  occupied  were 
expected,  and  largely  exceeded  the  expenses  of  hotels. 
The  lists  of  servants  who  expected  such  gratuities  in 
one  Eastern  palace  numbered  over  one  hundred,  al- 
though there  were  only  three  in  our  party.  But  we 
were  having  a  royal  dance  and  paid  the  pipers  royally. 
The  European  hotel-keepers  took  merciless  advan- 
tage of  us.  Their  most  effective  and  cunning  way 
of  doing  it  was  by  withholding  our  accounts  until  we 
were  on  the  point  of  leaving,  when  it  was  awkward 
for  the  Chamberlain  to  review  or  dispute  the  items  of 
the  bills.  The  Chamberlain,  who  attended  to  those 
matters,  looked  upon  the  hour  of  leaving  as  one  of 
great  annoyance.  Apartments  were  charged  to  us 
which  we  did  not  occupy;  the  prices  for  those  we 
used  were  excessive ;  quantities  of  wine  were  charged 
which  we  never  had;  charges  for  meals  and  service 
were  made  sufficient  to  maintain  a  large  retinue. 
The  valet  had  declared  that  he  was  well  capable  of 
preventing  these  extortions,  but  in  no  instance  did 
he  aid  the  Chamberlain.  The  King  was  not  aware 
of  these  gross  impositions.  Perhaps  it  should  not 
have  been  expected  that  a  king  would  be  treated  as 
a  common  guest,  though  he  received  only  the  same 
accommodations.  When  the  ex-King  of  Spain, 
Joseph  Bonaparte,  received  a  bill  from  an  innkeeper 
of  a  hotel  in  Bordentown,  New  Jersey,  which  con- 
tained a  charge,  "  Miscellaneous,  $300,"  he  inquired 
for  the  items;  the  innkeeper  promptly  informed  his 
secretary  that  it  might  be  read,  "  For  kicking  up  a 
damned  fuss  while  you  were  my  guest."  The  Euro- 
pean innkeepers  were  without  even  this  excuse  in 
charging  our  royal  party. 

Just  before  we  left  Naples  we  were  informed  of 


206     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  shooting  of  President  Garfield,  in  Washington, 
by  Guiteau.  This  was  the  second  assassination  of  a 
ruler  since  we  began  the  tour.  Revising  these  notes 
of  travel,  I  recall  the  incident  of  King  Humberto's 
taking  off  twenty  years  after  our  interview  with  him. 
I  had  known  General  Garfield  from  early  days,  and 
was  one  of  his  friends  who  regretted  his  election  to 
the  Presidency,  which  withdrew  him  from  occupa- 
tions which  were  better  suited  to  his  talents  and 
temperament. 


WITH    A    KING  207 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Rome,  Cardinal  Jacobini  —  Interview  with  the  Holy  Father 
—  Pleasant  Conversation  —  Cardinal  Howard  —  A  Pictur- 
esque Scene  —  The  King  Prevented  by  His  Suite  from 
Visiting  St.  Petersburg  —  Leave  for  England  via  Paris  — 
A  Scheming  Hollander  —  Ride  through  Paris  and  Leave 
for  London  —  Violation  of  French  Etiquette. 

WHEN  we  arrived  in  Rome,  by  command  of 
the  King,  I  addressed  a  note  to  Cardinal 
Jacobini,  the  Papal  Secretary  of  State,  asking  for 
an  interview  with  the  Holy  Father.  He  replied  at 
once,  fixing  four  o'clock  as  the  most  convenient  hour. 
We  accordingly,  in  evening  dress,  drove  to  the  Vati- 
can. An  officer  led  us  to  a  corridor  through  which 
we  passed  and  were  taken  by  other  officials  through 
other  grand  corridors  to  an  upper  chamber.  At  the 
rest  on  the  broad  stairways,  Swiss  soldiers,  armed 
with  spears  and  lances  and  clad  in  rich  uniforms, 
stood  on  guard.  Cardinal  Jacobini,  short,  fat,  jolly, 
and  shrewd,  received  us,  and  led  us  through  several 
chambers,  with  ceilings  richly  frescoed,  to  a  room 
which  was  comparatively  small;  this  was  the  audi- 
ence-room. It  was  exquisitely  frescoed,  and  a  soft 
light  entered  the  stained  windows.  The  Cardinals 
silently  entered ;  among  them  Cardinal  Howard,  an 
enormous  Englishman,  about  seven  feet  in  height, 
with  ruddy  cheeks,  a  humorous  expression,  and  a 
living  proof  that  these  high  prelates  did  not  always 
mortify  the  flesh. 


208     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

A  door  opened,  and  his  Holiness,  Leo  XIII,  a  thin 
and  spare  old  man  with  an  extremely  pale  face,  en- 
tered and  slowly  moved  across  the  room,  while  all 
bowed  in  reverence,  to  a  chair  on  a  dais  raised  a  few 
inches  from  the  floor.  In  front  of  him  another  chair 
was  placed  for  the  King;  around  the  Holy  Father 
the  Cardinals  were  grouped,  and  we  of  the  suite  stood 
near  the  King. 

The  Pope  began  the  conversation  at  once  in  Italian, 
which  was  interpreted  by  Cardinal  Howard.  He 
asked  many  questions  about  the  Hawaiian  kingdom. 
The  Cardinals  joined,  and  soon  showed  that  they 
were  well  informed  about  the  condition  of  the  native 
Catholics  in  Hawaii,  of  whom  there  were  almost  as 
many  as  there  were  Protestants.  The  Holy  Father 
said  to  the  King :  "  Will  you  present  your  compan- 
ions?" The  King  presented  us.  The  Pope  asked: 
"Are  they  natives  of  your  country?"  The  King 
replied  that  we  were,  and  the  sons  of  Protestant 
missionaries.  Cardinal  Howard  laughed,  and  said, 
"  Then  they  are  in  the  opposition."  The  Holy  Father 
smiled.  There  was  no  solemnity  in  the  interview; 
it  was  only  a  pleasant  chat. 

"Do  my  people  in  your  kingdom  behave  well?" 
asked  the  Pope. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  King,  "  they  are  good  subjects." 

"  If  they  do  not  behave,"  said  the  Pope,  "  I  must 
look  after  them.  Why  do  you  have  a  white  Minister 
in  your  government?"  he  continued. 

The  King  could  not  make  a  brief  explanation  and 
turned  to  me.  I  answered,  for  him,  that  the  kings 
of  Hawaii  chose  educated  white  men,  who  were  better 
able  to  deal  with  the  foreigners,  who  held  most  of 
the  wealth  of  the  country. 


Pope  Leo  XIII  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  209 

Cardinal  Howard  asked :  "  Are  there  any  Catholics 
in  your  government?  " 

I  answered :  "  No,  the  American  Protestants  en- 
tered the  country  before  the  Catholics  did,  and  have 
kept  control  of  public  affairs ;  but  no  efficient  Catho- 
lic is  excluded  from  high  office  by  reason  of  his 
faith." 

There  was  often  a  pleasant  twinkle  in  the  Holy 
Father's  eye,  and  he  smiled  while  he  spoke.  I  then 
recalled  his  humour  in  the  naive  blessing  which,  it 
was  said,  he  had  given  to  the  Oriental  bishops  during 
the  Oecumenical  Council.  They  were,  as  a  rule,  not 
very  clean  in  person.  He  raised  his  vicarious  hand 
when  they  knelt  before  him,  saying,  sotto  voce,  "Dirty 
as  ye  all  are"  (then  aloud),  "I  give  ye  all  my 
blessing." 

After  an  interview  which  lasted  twenty  minutes 
we  kissed  the  Holy  Father's  hand  and  rose.  He  said 
to  the  King :  "  Your  country  is  far  away.  I  shall 
pray  for  your  safe  return." 

The  scene  was  picturesque.  On  the  slightly  raised 
dais  sat  a  slender,  quiet  man,  with  a  kindly  eye, 
holding  supreme  power  over  nearly  two  hundred 
millions  of  people,  their  faith  in  him  qualified  by 
no  conditions,  reservations,  or  distinctions;  in  an- 
other and  in  its  best  sense,  "  the  strongest  business 
corporation  of  the  world,"  or,  as  Cardinal  Pacca,  the 
Primie  Minister  of  Pius  VH,  said  of  the  Pontifical 
government,  "  a  masterpiece,  not  of  divine,  but 
of  human  policy."  Here  was  the  solitary  man  to 
whom  these  millions  looked  for  guidance  in  life 
and  for  salvation  beyond  the  grave.  Before  this 
stupendous  power  in  the  moral  world  sat  the  king 
of    an    insignificant    group    of    islands;    the    great 


210     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

mountain  and  the  mole-hill  were  confronting  each 
other. 

Though  Heine  had  called  this  great  Church  the 
"  Bastile  of  the  Spirit,"  it  was  for  centuries  the  con- 
servative power  which,  through  its  influence  over  the 
State,  maintained  whatever  order  existed;  it  was 
the  police  force  of  the  civilised  world  for  a  thousand 
years,  whatever  the  truth  of  its  religious  doctrine 
might  be. 

We  were  then  taken  through  many  rooms  of  the 
Vatican,  and  from  them  went  to  St.  Peter's,  where 
so  many  kings  had  humbled  themselves  before  the 
awful  power  of  Rome. 

We  made  an  agreement  with  Cardinal  Jacobini 
by  which  the  Holy  Father  would  confer  on  the  King 
and  suite  some  Papal  decoration,  and  the  King  would 
confer  his  own  Orders  on  the  Holy  Father  and  the 
Papal  Staff. 

The  King  had  not  given  up  his  intention  to  visit 
St.  Petersburg,  for  he  hoped  to  exchange  decorations 
with  the  Tsar.  His  suite  opposed  such  a  visit  for  a 
number  of  reasons;  not  only  would  he  fail  to  be  in 
London  during  the  "  season,"  but  he  might  find  the 
Tsar  had  left  St.  Petersburg,  and  his  time  was 
limited.  He  was  obstinate,  and  inclined  to  push  on 
at  once  to  Russia.  The  suite  then  resorted  to  a 
trick  which  caused  him  to  change  his  mind.  While 
taking  our  coffee  in  the  morning  I  opened  a  morn- 
ing Italian  paper  and  pretended  to  read  it.  The 
Chamberlain,  according  to  a  prearranged  conspiracy, 
asked  for  the  news.  I  therefore  read  to  him  from  the 
paper,  composing  or  improvising  as  I  read,  this  item : 
"  There  has  been  a  fresh  outbreak  of  the  Nihilists  in 
St.  Petersburg,  and  there  is  great  fear  of  an  attack 


WITH    A    KING  211 

on  the  Tsar.  Ten  thousand  troops  are  ordered  out  to 
protect  the  Palace."  This  was  not  read  directly  to 
the  King,  nor  did  we  call  his  attention  to  it,  but  he 
listened.  I  then  handed  the  paper  to  him,  saying, 
*'  Perhaps  your  Majesty  wishes  to  look  over  this 
paper."  I  knew  that  he  could  not  read  it.  The 
Chamberlain  remarked :  "  If  his  Majesty  goes  to  St. 
Petersburg,  the  Nihilists,  in  their  hatred  of  all  sov- 
ereigns, may  attack  him ;  better  for  him,  before  leav- 
ing, to  sign  papers  containing  his  wishes  in  the  event 
of  any  trouble."  We  said  no  more;  but  within  an 
hour  the  King  told  us  that  on  reflection  he  would  not 
visit  the  Tsar. 

We  left  Rome  in  a  direct  and  unbroken  journey 
to  London,  in  order  to  be  there  before  the  season 
closed. 

During  the  journey  to  Paris,  a  clever  Hollander, 
who  had  visited  our  kingdom  for  a  few  hours  while 
on  a  voyage  to  New  Caledonia,  introduced  himself 
to  the  King  when  he  was  alone.  He  adroitly  placed 
before  him  a  specious  financial  scheme  which,  he 
said,  would  be  of  much  personal  benefit  to  him.  He 
had  opened  large  beds  of  nickel  ore  in  New  Cale- 
donia; he  proposed  to  furnish  his  Majesty's  govern- 
ment with  nickel  coins  of  small  denomination,  for 
which  his  Majesty's  government  should  pay  the  sum 
of  $200,000.  The  cost  of  the  coin  would  not  exceed 
$50,000,  and  the  profit,  he  proposed,  should  be  equally 
divided  between  the  King  and  himself.  This  simple 
scheme  of  forcing  a  base  coin  into  our  kingdom  for 
personal  gain  captivated  the  King,  and  he  favoured 
it,  and  did  not  display  any  more  lack  of  moral  sense 
in  this  affair  than  the  majority  of  rulers  and  states- 
men.   The  Hollander  subsequently  caused  samples  of 


212     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  nickel  coin  to  be  made  in  Paris  and  sent  them  to 
his  Majesty  after  he  had  returned  home;  but  the 
King's  white  advisers  were  again  obstinate  and  re- 
fused to  execute  the  scheme.  The  suite  suspected 
the  nature  of  the  transaction,  and  warned  the  Hol- 
lander that  it  would  fail  to  bring  him  any  profit ;  but 
he  believed  that  the  King  was  an  absolute  monarch 
in  his  own  country  and  refused  to  abandon  it.  The 
King's  justification  for  engaging  in  it  was  that  the 
largest  capitalist  in  his  kingdom,  a  white  man,  had 
secured  a  great  profit  by  introducing  silver  coin  into 
the  kingdom  in  a  similar  manner,  and  there  was  no 
reason  why  the  King  himself  should  not  take  ad- 
vantage of  a  business  opportunity. 

We  reached  Paris  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  were  met  by  the  King's  Vice-Consul  and  suite. 
We  drove  for  several  hours  through  the  streets  until 
the  departure  of  the  train  to  Boulogne.  On  passing 
through  the  Place  Vendome,  the  Vice-Consul  pointed 
to  the  site  of  the  grand  Column  of  Napoleon,  which 
was  destroyed  during  the  Commune.  "  There,"  he 
said,  "  stood  the  magnificent  column ;  it  was  torn 
down  by  the  vicious  Communists."  I  replied,  "  I 
was  here,  and  saw  it  destroyed.  I  saw  the  workmen 
boring  holes  in  its  base."  "  How  extraordinary," 
he  said ;  "  is  not  this  the  first  visit  of  the  King  and 
his  party  in  Europe?  Do  people  travel  from  your 
country  to  Paris?"  By  a  mere  chance,  in  1871,  I 
had  been  assistant  bearer  of  despatches  to  the  Amer- 
ican Minister  in  Paris  during  the  Commune,  and  left 
the  city  just  before  the  attack  and  massacre  of  the 
Communists  by  the  Versailles  troops. 

We  left  for  London,  but  ignorantly  committed  a 
breach  of  courtly  etiquette  which  subsequently  an- 


WITH    A    KING  213 

noyed  us.  Thotigli  only  in  transition  through  the 
city,  the  King  should  have  directed  his  Chamberlain 
to  call  at  the  palace  of  the  Elysee,  and  leave  his  card 
with  the  President  of  the  French  Republic.  This 
omission  was  regarded  by  the  Foreign  Office  as  a 
breach  of  etiquette,  as  we  soon  discovered.  The 
King  had  no  minister  at  the  French  court,  although 
he  had  a  Consul-General  in  Paris  without  diplomatic 
power.  It  was  our  purpose  to  visit  Paris  later  in 
the  season,  and  exchange  courtesies  with  the  French 
President. 

We  had  no  love  for  the  French  nation.  Its 
diplomatic  agents  and  warships  had  made  hostile 
visits  to  our  Islands  on  several  occasions.  Under 
threat  of  bombarding  our  capital  they  at  one  time 
had  extorted  unjust  commercial  privileges  from  our 
government,  and  at  a  later  period  had,  in  spite  of 
the  protests  of  the  representative  of  the  United  States, 
landed  an  armed  force,  destroyed  a  large  amount  of 
government  property,  spiked  the  guns  of  the  fortress, 
and  carried  away  the  King's  yacht  to  the  South  Seas. 


214     AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

London,  Claridge's  Hotel  —  Royal  and  Ministerial  Callers  — 
The  Duke  of  Edinburgh's  Visit  to  Hawaii  — The  Prince  of 
Wales  Makes  a  Social  "  Lion  "  of  the  King  —  The  Royal 
Family  Takes  the  King  up  Without  Reserve  —  The  Queen's 
Carriages  at  His  Service  —  Patti  at  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera  —  An  Old  Schoolmate,  General  Armstrong  —  The 
Houses  of  Parliament  —  The  "Plug"  Hat  the  Symbol  of 
British  Power  —  Volunteer  Review  in  Windsor  Park  — 
—  The  Crown  Prince  of  Germany  —  Novelty  of  Our  Situa- 
tion —  Westminster  Abbey  —  A  Trip  on  the  River  with 
Lord  Charles  Beresford. 

WHEN  we  reached  London  the  King's  Consul- 
General  for  England  insisted  that  his  Maj- 
esty should  lodge  at  Claridge's  Hotel,  where  all 
visiting  monarchs  reside  if  they  are  in  good  and 
regular  standing  and  are  not  invited  to  any  of  the 
palaces. 

The  Gladstone  government  was  in  power,  and  Earl 
Granville  promptly  called  on  the  King,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  who,  with  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh,  had  visited  the  Hawaiian  king- 
dom in  the  warship  "  Galatea  "  some  years  before. 
After  them  came  Sir  Thomas  and  Lady  Brassey, 
who  had  also  visited  the  kingdom  in  the  "  Sunbeam." 
By  the  King's  command  our  Chamberlain  called  on 
Mr.  James  Russell  Lowell,  the  American  Minister, 
with  the  deep  regrets  of  the  King  for  the  deadly 
attack  on  President  Garfield.  Mr.  F.  R.  Synge,  of 
the  Foreign  Office,  was  directed  by  Earl  Granville 
to  attend  the  King  so  long  as  he  remained  in  Lon- 


The  Duke  of  Edinburgh  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  215 

don.  He  was  a  clever  man,  familiar  with  royal  eti- 
quette, knew  everybody,  and,  moreover,  had  lived 
when  a  child  in  Hawaii,  where  his  father  at  one 
time  resided  as  British  Commissioner.  Mr.  Synge 
at  once  relieved  us  of  all  anxiety  about  matters  of 
etiquette,  and  managed  with  great  skill  what  we  in 
private  called  the  "  royal  circus  with  a  Polynesian 
lion  in  the  cage." 

Though  we  had  arrived  in  London  at  the  height 
of  the  season,  for  it  was  now  July,  we  did  not  anti- 
cipate any  unusual  courtesies  from  the  Queen,  but 
hoped  to  get  a  glimpse  of  high  life,  a  formal  pre- 
sentation at  court,  and  invitations  to  some  social 
functions  where  the  "  swells  "  of  England  might  be 
seen.  But  a  bit  of  bread  which  the  King  had  cast 
upon  the  waters  ten  years  before  now  floated  back 
to  him  as  a  very  large  loaf.  While  only  a  Hawaiian 
prince  he  had  received  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and 
Lord  Charles  Beresford  on  their  visit  to  the  islands 
mentioned  above.  The  chief  entertainment  was  a 
feast  served  in  the  native  style  in  one  of  the  beauti- 
ful valleys  near  the  city,  with  the  mountains  rising 
up  on  either  side,  which  cast  deep  shadows  over  it. 
The  exquisite  beauty  of  the  place,  the  wilderness  of 
native  flowers,  and  the  dancing  of  the  native  girls, 
fascinated  the  Duke,  and  on  his  return  to  England 
he  told  the  Royal  Family,  some  of  whom  repeated 
his  story  to  us,  that  of  all  the  visits  he  had  made 
during  his  long  voyage  in  the  "  Galatea  "  the  one  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands  was  the  most  charming,  so 
delightful  that  it  was  reported  in  the  press  soon  after 
his  return  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  declared  that 
if  he  ever  made  a  long  cruise  his  first  visit  would  be 
to  these  islands.     The  Duke,  when  we  arrived,  was 


216     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

in  command  of  a  warship  in  the  Baltic;  but  he  tele- 
graphed his  congratulations  to  the  King  on  his  ar- 
rival, and,  we  were  told,  had  requested  the  Royal 
Family  to  make  the  King's  visit  a  pleasant  one. 

The  Prince  of  Wales,  as  the  social  chief  of  the 
English  people,  representing  the  Queen,  gave  the 
"  tip,"  or,  more  decorously  speaking,  fixed  the  meas- 
ure of  his  reception,  and  the  King  at  once  bounded 
into  the  glittering  arena  as  a  social  lion.  This  was 
accepted  with  excellent  humour  by  the  aristocracy, 
who  are  always  charmed  with  some  new  sensation. 
The  King's  use  of  the  English  language  gave  him 
a  great  advantage  over  some  visiting  monarchs; 
besides,  he  did  not  exhibit  the  habits  of  the  Shah 
of  Persia,  who,  while  occupying  Buckingham  Palace, 
turned  one  of  the  drawing-rooms  into  a  slaughter- 
house for  chickens,  because  it  was  the  custom  in 
Persia  to  kill  and  cook  in  the  presence  of  the  ruler, 
in  order  to  remove  the  risk  of  being  poisoned.  In- 
stead of  staying  only  three  days  in  London,  the  King 
remained  sixteen  days,  during  which  time  he  was 
most  royally  entertained,  and,  if  a  lion  fattens  on 
attentions,  he  finally  waddled  out  of  England  "  as 
fat  as  a  poodle  dog." 

The  Prince  of  Wales  called  at  once  and  greeted 
him  pleasantly;  the  Duke  of  Albany,  the  Duke  of 
Connaught,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  Prince  Teck, 
Prime  Minister  and  Mrs.  Gladstone,  Lord  Kimber- 
ley.  Colonel  Teesdale,  Equerry  to  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  Earl  Spencer,  the  Earl  and  Countess  of 
Clarendon,  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Breadalbane, 
the  Earl  and  Countess  Dalhousie,  the  Right  Hon. 
George  and  Mrs.  Cavendish  Bentinck,  Baroness  Bur- 
dett-Coutts,  the  foreign  Ambassadors  and  Ministers 


J 

2 

•  .V  -  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 

mi^^L^  1  ^^^H^^^^^^l 

The  Prince  of  Wales  (i88i), 


I 


WITH    A    KING  217 

resident  in  London,  and  many  other  distinguished 
persons  also  called  and  gave  the  King  a  cordial 
greeting.  His  movements  were  recorded  daily  in 
the  "  Court  Circular  "  along  with  the  doings  of  the 
British  court,  and  with  the  same  conscientious  fidel- 
ity to  detail  as  that  with  which  the  last  moments 
of  a  criminal  on  the  morning  of  his  execution  are 
described  in  American  newspapers. 

Until  we  left,  one  of  her  Majesty's  carriages  was 
at  the  King's  disposal  at  all  times ;  the  driver  and 
footman  in  red  livery  during  the  day  and  in  black 
during  the  evening.  A  card  was  also  given  to  us 
on  which  was  inscribed  an  order  granting  the  right 
of  way  in  the  streets. 

On  our  first  evening  we  attended  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera,  and  the  King,  with  his  keen  sense  of  good 
music,  enjoyed  Patti's  singing.  It  was  an  event  in 
his  life,  and  w^hen  he  intimated  a  wish  to  visit  her 
she  promptly  invited  him  behind  the  curtain ;  he 
handed  her  a  bouquet,  which  she  received  "  gra- 
ciously," and  no  doubt  soon  tossed  on  the  heap  of 
dead  flowers  which  Crowned  Heads  had  cast  at  her 
feet  for  twenty  years.  Although  a  thousand  glasses 
from  all  parts  of  the  house  were  directed  to  her 
Majesty's  box,  in  which  he  was,  the  King  paid  no 
attention  to  them  while  Patti  sang;  it  was  for  him 
a  supreme  hour,  and  he  recalled  it  often  with  much 
satisfaction  in  later  years. 

The  next  morning.  General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  of 
the  Hampton  Normal  Institute  of  Virginia,  called 
upon  the  King.  In  early  days  they  had  been  not 
only  schoolmates  but  collaborators  in  the  publication 
of  a  newspaper  in  the  Hawaiian  language;  the 
"  lion  "  and  his  friend  roared  in  the  Hawaiian  Ian- 


218     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

guage,  the  British  court  passed  out  of  sight,  and 
they  were  again  under  the  cocoanut  palms  of 
Hawaii. 

With  Mr.  Foster,  the  Secretary  of  State  for  Ire- 
land, I  visited  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  the  cradle 
of  British  liberty  and  the  home  of  silk  hats.  The 
hat  is  worn  during  the  sittings  as  a  badge  of  power, 
and  it  stands  as  a  perpetual  invitation  to  the  King 
and  the  Lords  to  knock  it  off  and  arouse  the  slumber- 
ing energy  of  the  people.  While  the  Chinese  indi- 
cate rank  and  power  by  a  peacock's  feather,  and  the 
wild  Indian  shows  it  in  that  of  an  eagle  or  rooster, 
the  British  citizen  selects  the  silk  hat  as  the  emblem 
of  his  supreme  power  under  the  Constitution.  If  a 
local  whirlwind  found  its  way  into  Westminster  dur- 
ing a  session  of  Parliament,  and  carried  off  the 
sacred  hats,  the  empire  would  tremble  on  the  verge 
of  anarchy.  Still,  under  these  hats  are  the  heads 
that  rule  one  fourth  of  the  people  of  the  earth ;  were 
it  a  rabbit's  foot,  instead  of  a  hat,  it  would  remain 
an  awful  emblem  of  physical  force.  Under  these 
hats  exists  more  power  than  any  body  of  men  have 
held  since  the  beginning  of  time;  a  power  which, 
until  America  has  reached  the  full  measure  of  her 
dominance,  is  the  best  hope  of  pushing  civilisation 
to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  In  its  weakness 
and  strength,  in  its  glory  and  shame,  the  British 
empire  presents  all  the  virtues  and  vices  of  men.  It 
has  seized  territory  without  right,  overthrown  weaker 
governments,  bombarded  defenceless  cities,  butchered 
women  and  children,  despised  and  overthrown  the 
rights  of  many  communities.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
has  established  law  and  order  and  the  wise  admin- 
istration of  justice  over  one  fourth  of  the  globe,  and 


WITH    A    KING  219 

opened  a  safe  commerce  with  the  world  to  all  na- 
tions; without  reserving  special  privileges  to  itself, 
it  puts  the  Frenchman,  the  German,  the  Russian,  and 
the  American  on  the  same  footing  as  the  Briton  in 
all  countries,  where,  through  the  prodigal  use  of  its 
own  blood  and  treasure,  it  has  made  commerce  safe. 
These  considerations  I  put  before  my  royal  master 
while  v/e  took  our  breakfast  tea;  but  he,  like  Tol- 
stoi's tiger  looking  at  the  world  from  his  own  stand- 
point, asked,  "What  is  there  in  all  this  for  me?" 
The  British  and  the  Americans  were,  after  all,  one 
people,  and  how  soon  would  his  monarchy  be  re- 
organised out  of  existence  by  their  hard  and  restless 
race?  There  was  no  comfort  for  him  in  the  reflec- 
tion that  he  was  a  grasshopper  in  a  procession  of 
elephants. 

The  Queen,  on  the  day  of  our  arrival,  sent  to  the 
King  an  invitation  to  attend  the  review  of  the  volun- 
teer forces  next  day  in  Windsor  Park.  On  nearing 
the  Park,  we  were  met  by  a  royal  carriage  and  driven 
to  the  tent  of  Lord  Brassey,  who  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  volunteer  marines,  where  we  lunched  with  a 
large  company  and  listened  to  a  clever  but  brief 
speech  from  Lady  Brassey,  who  responded  to  a  toast. 
We  were  then  driven  within  the  grounds  of  Windsor 
Castle,  from  which  all  others,  including  the  nobility, 
were  excluded.  The  Duke  of  Cambridge,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, saluted  the  King,  and  assigned  to 
our  carriage  a  place  in  front  of  the  seats  which  had 
been  placed,  with  rising  steps,  for  the  nobility  of 
England.  The  Royal  Family,  in  carriages,  escorted 
by  a  detachment  of  the  Royal  Horse  Guards,  now 
appeared,  and  were  so  arranged  that  our  carriage  was 
the  last,  and  the  only  one  which  contained  persons 


220      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

who  were  not  members  of  the  Royal  Family.  With 
the  Queen  were  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Crown 
Princess  of  Germany.  At  the  flagstaff  her  Majesty 
received  a  royal  salute,  and  the  volunteers,  number- 
ing over  50,000,  marched  past  her  carriage.  His 
Imperial  Highness  the  Crown  Prince  Frederick  of 
Germany  was  the  honorary  commander  of  a  regi- 
ment, and  as  soon  as  it  had  saluted  and  passed  the 
Queen,  he  left  his  regiment,  rode  up  to  our  carriage, 
saluted,  and  gave  his  hand  to  the  King,  saying,  — 

"  Your  Majesty,  I  am  the  Crown  Prince  of  Ger- 
many. I  shall  call  upon  you  to-morrow ;  but  permit 
me  now  to  thank  you  for  your  hospitality  to  my  son. 
Prince  Henry,  when  he  visited  your  kingdom.  My 
father,  the  Emperor,  is  at  Gastein,  but  you  will  be 
received,  if  you  visit  Berlin,  by  my  son,  Prince 
William"    [now  Emperor]. 

He  then  returned  to  his  place  by  the  side  of  the 
Queen's  carriage.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  when  his 
own  regiment  had  passed,  also  rode  up  to  our  car- 
riage, chatted  with  the  King,  and  told  him  that  he 
hoped  to  receive  him  at  a  garden  party  at  Marl- 
borough House  on  the  following  Tuesday.  At  the 
close  of  the  review  the  Queen's  carriage  turned  and 
passed  us ;  the  Queen  had  not  then  received  the  King, 
but  she  bowed  to  him  as  she  went  by.  There  were 
cords  drawn  in  front  of  the  seats  occupied  by  the 
nobility,  so  that  no  one  could  enter  the  ground  where 
the  carriages  stood.    We  then  drove  back  to  London. 

I  had  visited  England  before  this  and  had  gazed 
from  curbstones  on  the  nobility  and  the  Queen ;  I 
had,  by  tipping  a  half-crown  to  the  guard,  ridden  in 
a  first-class  railway  coach  with  a  lord,  so  that  I  might 
look  upon  a  creature  unknown  to  American  insti- 


The  Prince  Imperial  of  (jermany  (l88i). 


WITH    A    KING  221 

tutions.  I  had,  from  the  depths,  looked  up  at  the 
beautiful  feet  of  the  aristocracy  upon  the  purple 
mountain  tops ;  but  now,  by  a  singular  fate,  I  was 
permitted  (for  this  occasion  only)  actually  to  stand 
with  them  on  these  lofty  altitudes;  aye,  even  to 
breathe  the  rare  and  perfumed  air  in  which  these 
social  and  patrician  gods  were  dwelling  in  the  devout 
adoration  of  the  British  public.  Like  the  gods  of 
Homer,  they  had  many  defects,  but  still  they  were 
gods,  and  the  beloved  fetish  of  a  great  people. 

As  we  entered  the  city  after  the  review,  our  car- 
riage got  into  a  jam  of  waggons  at  a  crossing.  A 
drunken  cabby,  pointing  to  the  King,  who  sat  with 
dignity  in  the  royal  carriage,  shouted :  "  There  goes 
me  father,  hit's  the  big  one!"  A  policeman  cried 
out,  "Make  room  for  the  Queen's  carriage!"  and 
directed  cabby  to  turn  aside.  The  cabby  turned  on 
him  with  a  drunken  leer  and  answered :  "  I  belongs 
to  this  ere  royal  party." 

On  the  next  day,  Sunday,  we  attended  the  services 
in  Westminster  Abbey.  Dean  Stanley  was  unable 
to  be  present,  owing  to  illness;  but  he  sent  to  the 
King  a  kindly  message  and  directed  that  he  should 
be  taken  to  the  interesting  parts  of  the  Abbey. 

The  King  looked  reverently  on  the  effigies  and 
tombs.  "  Those  who  are  buried  here,"  said  his  friend, 
"  take  all  the  fame  just  now.  But  when  the  '  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Names  of  the  Deserving 
Dead,  Which  Have  Been  Omitted,'  reconstructs  the 
Abbey,  five  hundred  years  from  now,  and  publishes 
a  revised  list  of  Immortals,  some  of  them  will  go 
into  the  rubbish  heap." 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  trip  up  the  Thames 
in  a  small  yacht  belonging  to  Lord  Beresford,  the 


222     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

King's  genial  friend,  filled  with  a  party  of  high-born 
people  whose  conversation  instructed  the  King  greatly 
in  the  use  of  colloquial  language  and  idiomatic  terms. 
"  Lord  Charles,"  as  he  was  called,  was  a  humourous 
Englishman,  and  his  strong,  healthy  spirits  made  him 
the  staunch  friend  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  After 
dining  at  Lord  William  Beresford's  place  in  Maiden- 
head we  returned  to  the  city. 


The  Princess  of  Prussia  (l88l 


WITH    A    KING  223 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Luncheon  at  Earl  Granville's  with  Mr.  Gladstone  and  Mem- 
bers of  the  Cabinet  —  Visit  to  the  Queen  at  Windsor 
Castle  —  Her  Majesty  Inquires  for  Queen  Emma  —  Lunch- 
eon at  the  Castle  —  Visit  from  the  Crown  Prince  of  Ger- 
many —  Call  at  Marlborough  House  —  The  Prince  and 
Princess  of  Wales  —  Lunch  with  the  Prince  at  Lord 
Charles  Beresford's  —  American  Women  —  Lord  Beresford's 
Escapade  in  Hawaii  —  The  Prince  of  Wales's  Visit  to  the 
United  States  —  Garden  Party  at  Marlborough  House  — 
The  Queen    Present  —  Mr.  Lowell,  the  American   Minister 

—  An  Informal  Gathering  of  Royalty  and  Its  Friends  — 
The  King  Approved  Of — Lambeth  Palace  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  —  Reception  to  Prince  and  Princess 
of  Wales  at  Kensington  Museum  —  Earl  Spencer's  Mistake 

—  A  Royal  Procession  —  Aristocratic   Life  a  Bore. 

AN  interview  with  the  Queen  was  now  arranged. 
Accordingly,  the  next  day  we  took  luncheon 
with  Earl  and  Lady  Granville.  Mr.  Gladstone,  Sir 
Charles  Dilke,  Lord  Kimberley,  and  other  members 
of  the  Cabinet  were  there.  With  due  observance  of 
etiquette  the  Prime  Minister  of  the  greatest  empire 
of  the  world  and  the  Minister  of  the  smallest  king- 
dom of  the  world  were  placed  opposite  each  other. 
Mr.  Gladstone  said  little.  No  startling  aphorism 
sprang  from  his  lips.  But  much  pudding  went  into 
his  mouth,  which,  by  the  mysterious  transmutation 
of  nature,  was  converted  into  a  brief  and  admirable 
speech  on  the  Transvaal,  in  Parliament  that  evening. 
After  luncheon  with  Lord  Granville  we  drove  to 
the  Paddington  station,  whence  we  went  to  Windsor 
by  train.    There  we  were  met  by  royal  carriages  and 


224     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

a  detachment  of  the  Horse  Guards,  and  taken  to 
the  castle,  where  we  were  to  be  presented  to  the 
Queen. 

Gentlemen-in-waiting  received  us  at  the  entrance 
and  led  us  into  a  room  where  there  were  basins 
and  looking-glasses,  wherewith  we  could  prevent  dirt 
from  offending  the  august  eye.  We  were  in  morn- 
ing dress.  After  passing  through  several  chambers 
and  galleries  we  entered  the  Green  Drawing-room. 
The  King  and  Lord  Granville  stood  alone;  we  of 
the  suite,  with  Mr.  Synge,  stood  aside.  There  was 
silence  for  a  moment,  as  if  we  were  on  a  trap  door 
and  about  to  be  launched,  like  criminals,  into  eter- 
nity; then  the  doors  were  suddenly  thrown  wide 
open,  and  the  British  Queen  entered  the  room,  ad- 
vanced toward  the  King,  and  shook  his  hand.  With 
her  were  the  Princess  Louise  and  Princess  Beatrice, 
the  Duke  of  Albany,  and  the  Duke  of  Hesse.  It  is 
at  this  moment  of  introduction  to  the  royal  presence 
that  fear  and  tremblings  distress  many  who  are  pre- 
sented, much  like  the  "  buck  fever "  in  America, 
which  affects  an  amateur  hunter  when  he  tries  his 
first  shot  at  a  deer.  But  we,  now  well  acclimated 
in  the  atmosphere  of  royal  splendours  in  the  Orient, 
were  not  stricken  with  it.  The  King  stood,  large, 
impassive,  graceful.  Her  Majesty  and  the  King 
were  then  seated,  and  she  at  once  spoke  of  the  visit 
of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  to  his  Majesty's  islands, 
and  declared  that  they  must  be  very  beautiful,  for  the 
Duke  often  spoke  of  them. 

After  a  few  moments  of  conversation  her  Majesty 
arose,  presented  the  King  to  the  other  members  of 
the  Royal  Family,  and,  turning  toward  the  suite, 
received  us  with  Lord  Granville's  presentation.     She 


Queen  Victoria  and  the  Princess  Beatrice  (i88i). 


WITH    A    KING  225 

said  to  me:  "His  Majesty  speaks  our  language 
easily;  how  did  he  learn  it?"  I  replied  that  he 
learned  it  in  the  missionary  schools  when  young. 
She  asked  about  Queen  Emma  (the  Queen  Dowager, 
the  widow  of  one  of  the  King's  predecessors;  she 
had  visited  England,  and  was  a  guest  at  Windsor 
for  some  days),  saying,  "  She  is  a  charming  young 
woman ;  I  was  very  fond  of  her/'  She  then  asked 
the  King  if  he  would  walk  about  the  castle,  or  drive 
to  Virginia  Water.  He  said  he  preferred  to  see  the 
interior  of  the  castle.  She  said  that  she  hoped  his 
Majesty  would  enjoy  his  visit ;  she  had  always  been 
much  interested  in  his  kingdom ;  he  might  feel  as- 
sured that  he  was  very  welcome  in  London.  She 
then  retired. 

With  the  Duke  of  Hesse  and  the  Duke  of  Albany 
we  then  sat  down  in  another  room,  overlooking  the 
park,  to  luncheon.  We  were  taken  through  the  many 
rooms  of  the  castle,  and  the  Dukes  repeated  the  story 
of  each  apartment.  Again  taking  the  royal  carriages, 
surrounded  with  Horse  Guards,  we  returned  to  the 
station,  where  we  took  the  train  for  London.  We 
learned,  soon  after  this,  that  the  Queen  had  been  in 
excellent  humour  during  the  King's  visit;  it  pleased 
her  especially  that  he  spoke  the  English  language  so 
easily  and  with  an  English  accent ;  no  other  foreign 
sovereign  who  had  visited  England  spoke  it  as 
fluently. 

As  a  project  for  an  alliance  between  the  royal  fam- 
ilies of  Japan  and  Hawaii  was  still  pending,  it  was 
not  practicable  for  the  King  to  propose  one  between 
the  Royal  Family  of  Great  Britain  and  that  of 
Hawaii.  The  suite  were  therefore  not  to  be  surprised 
by  a  sudden  and  secret  visit  of  the  King  to  Windsor 

IS 


226     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Castle  with  intent  to  put  a  British  steel  rod  into  the 
uneasy  throne  of  Hawaii. 

Our  days  and  nights  were  now  spent  in  constant 
intercourse  with  the  superior  beings  who  constitute 
the  highest  class  of  British  social  and  political  life. 
But  at  times  there  came  to  us  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  exaltation  of  rank  does  not  remove  the  unpleas- 
ant environments  of  life;  that  the  prince  and  the 
pauper  have  much  in  common;  in  fact,  one  who  was 
familiar  with  the  court  life  told  me  that  it  was  full 
of  annoyances  and  tribulations  in  spite  of  the  sweet 
air  of  adoration  which  pervaded  it. 

The  Crown  Prince  of  Germany  called  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  again  thanked  the  King  for  his  kind  services 
to  his  son,  Prince  Henry.  We  quickly  returned  his 
call  at  Buckingham  Palace,  where  we  were  received 
also  by  the  Crown  Princess,  who,  though  born  in 
England  and  the  daughter  of  the  Queen,  spoke  with 
a  slight  German  accent.  She  spoke  as  if  she  had  an 
active  mind  and  was  by  no  means  indifferent  to  pub- 
lic affairs;  the  Crown  Prince  we  admired  almost 
above  all  men  we  had  met  in  our  travels;  his  face 
was  an  open  one,  and  in  his  blue  Teutonic  eye  was 
kindness  and  warmth. 

We  called  upon  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales 
at  Marlborough  House;  their  children  were  present, 
and  the  Princess  spoke  of  the  beautiful  islands  of 
which  she  had  so  often  heard.  Standing  near  her,  it 
was  easy  to  understand  how  Tennyson  wrote  that 
the  English  were 

"All  Danes  in  our  welcome  of  thee." 

The  Prince  took  the  King  in  his  carriage,  with 
the   suite   following,   to  luncheon   at   Lord   Charles 


Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  227 

Beresford's  in  Eaton  Square,  where  we  met  the 
clever  American,  Lady  Mandeville,  now  Dowager 
Duchess  of  Manchester,  whom  I  had  met  before  in 
the  United  States,  —  a  woman  with  the  rare  gift  for 
telHng  a  story  well;  also  Mrs.  Sands,  one  of  the 
American  beauties  of  "  the  Prince's  set."  After 
luncheon,  while  we  were  smoking  in  the  balcony,  the 
Prince  again  spoke  of  his  brother's  visit  to  the  King's 
country  and  of  his  desire  to  see  it.  Lord  Beresford, 
at  the  time  of  his  brother's  visit,  was  a  midshipman 
on  the  "  Galatea,"  and  in  one  of  his  frolics  on  shore 
had  removed  at  night  the  sign  of  the  American  Con- 
sul to  the  front  of  a  Chinese  junk-shop ;  for  his 
indiscretion,  which  had  greatly  incensed  the  people 
of  the  town,  and  had  stirred  the  local  American 
Eagle  to  frantic  screams,  he  duly  apologised.  We 
did  not  dream  that  the  political  unrest  in  Egypt  which 
we  detected  at  the  banquet  of  the  Khedive  would  in 
the  next  year  invite  the  bombardment  of  Alexandria, 
the  burning  of  the  great  palace  in  which  we  were 
received,  and  be  the  occasion  for  the  signal  daring  of 
Lord  Beresford  in  fighting  his  warship  at  close  range 
to  the  Egyptian  forts. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  in  his  eighteenth  year,  with 
the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  had  visited  the  United  States 
in  1859.  The  grandest  and  most  ambitious  ball  ever 
given  on  American  soil  up  to  that  time  took  place 
in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  New  York  City.  I  was 
present,  and  now  recalled  to  the  Prince  one  of  its 
unique  features,  which,  he  said,  embarrassed  him 
greatly  at  the  time.  The  young  ladies  were  eager 
to  dance  with  him,  but  the  Committee  of  Managers 
could  not  select  his  partners  without  giving  great 
offence  to  hundreds  who  would  be  neglected.     A 


228      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

shrewd  merchant,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee, therefore  proposed  that  "  the  Prince  be  turned 
loose  among  the  girls  and  left  to  select  his  own 
partners."  This  plan  was  adopted,  and  he  modestly 
moved  through  the  lines  of  beautiful  girls,  who 
opened  the  way  for  him,  —  a  very  apple  of  discord, 
—  and  made  his  own  selections,  which  could  not  be 
charged  to  the  Committee. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  again  visited 
Marlborough  House,  where  a  garden  party  was  held 
on  the  lawn.  Many  carriages  of  the  nobility  were  in 
a  long  line  at  the  entrance,  awaiting  their  turns  to 
discharge  their  occupants,  but  the  royal  carriage  con- 
taining the  King  and  suite  took  precedence.  The 
Prince  and  Princess  received  their  guests  near  the 
door.  Tents  had  been  erected  on  the  lawn,  under 
the  venerable  trees.  The  Queen  was  announced ; 
it  was  the  first  garden  party  she  had  attended  since 
the  death  of  Prince  Albert.  The  Prince  led  her  to 
a  tent,  where  she  was  attended  by  the  Princesses 
Louise  and  Beatrice.  The  King  entered  it,  and,  after 
a  few  moments'  conversation,  moved  to  one  of  the 
old  trees,  and  under  its  branches  held  a  reception  of 
his  own.  While  "  the  best  blood  "  of  England  was 
there,  the  most  attractive  person  on  the  ground,  it 
seemed  to  me,  was  the  American  Minister,  Mr. 
Lowell.  It  seemed  as  if  here  was  the  source  of  a 
pretty  historical  picture.  As  he  slowly  walked  amid 
the  members  of  the  British  court,  among  the  de- 
scendants of  those  who  had  driven  the  Puritans 
out  of  England,  and  of  those  who  for  lack  of  fore- 
sight had  called  into  being  a  great  and  independ- 
ent republic  beyond  the  seas,  he  seemed  quietly  to 
say : 


The  Princess  of  Wales  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  229 

"  I  represent  the  crew  of  the  '  Mayflower,'  return- 
ing to  you  in  their  splendid  transformation  into  a 
nation  of  your  own  blood." 

Yet  it  was  an  informal  gathering-.  The  Princesses 
Louise  and  Beatrice,  the  Crown  Princess  of  Ger- 
many, the  Princesses  Sophia  and  Margaret  of  Prussia, 
the  Duchess  of  Connaught,  the  Princess  Mary  of 
Cambridge,  moved  from  group  to  group  and  joined 
those  who  gathered  around  the  King.  If  an  intelli- 
gent traveller  had  been  present  who  was  entirely  ig- 
norant of  the  rank  of  the  persons  composing  this 
garden  party,  he  would  have  described  them  as  good- 
natured  people  with  simple  manners  and  direct  speech, 
and  in  all  respects  differing  in  no  way  from  well-bred 
people  in  any  land.  The  ruler  over  one  fourth  of  the 
people  of  the  world  took  her  cup  of  tea  with  the  same 
enjoyment,  neither  more  nor  less,  than  Mrs.  Gup- 
pins,  an  East  side  washerwoman,  takes  hers.  The 
conversation  was  confined  to  pleasant  gossip;  in  no 
case  did  I  hear  the  winds  of  exalted  thoughts  playing 
about  the  heads  of  these  distinguished  people.  There 
were  no  formal  introductions  to  the  Queen,  for  the 
guests  were  her  acquaintances  and  friends.  I  over- 
heard, sometimes,  the  quiet  comments  of  the  guests 
upon  my  King.  They  were  in  every  case  pleasant; 
for  his  large  size,  the  quiet  repose  of  his  manners,  and 
his  excellent  command  of  the  English  language  com- 
mended him ;  his  colour  seemed  to  bring  him  advan- 
tage among  these  people,  who  have  no  prejudice 
against  it,  and  who  cannot  understand  why,  in  the 
United  States,  the  presence  of  a  negro  in  society 
agitates  it,  like  a  rat  in  a  ball-room. 

The  following  day  we  were  driven  to  Lord's  cricket 
grounds,  the  Tower,  St.  Paul's,  and  through  Hyde 


230     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Park,  in  the  Queen's  carriage,  and  closed  it  with 
attending  a  garden  party  in  Lambeth  Palace,  the 
residence  of  Archbishop  Tait,  of  Canterbury.  The 
Archbishop  led  the  King  and  suite  through  its  rooms, 
and  revealed  the  splendour  in  which  the  spiritual 
lords  of  England  lived,  —  a  manner  of  living  which 
had  been  reversed  by  the  spiritual  leaders  of  the  same 
Church  in  their  residences  beyond  the  Atlantic,  where 
the  English  race  had  created,  "  a  State  without  a 
King,  a  Church  without  a  Bishop." 

In  Albert  Hall  there  was  an  afternoon  concert. 
The  King  and  suite  sat  in  Lord  Granville's  box.  The 
King  was  delighted  with  a  duet  sung  by  Patti  and 
Albani. 

At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  went  to  a 
reception  given  by  Earl  and  Countess  Spencer  to  the 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  in  the  Kensington 
Museum.  We  were  received  by  Lord  Spencer,  who 
led  us  to  a  small  chamber  where  his  royal  visitors 
gathered  before  they  formally  entered  the  large  hall 
to  meet  the  fifteen  hundred  guests  who  had  been 
invited.  There  we  found  the  Prince  and  Princess 
of  Wales,  their  royal  Highnesses  the  Princesses 
Louise  and  Beatrice,  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess 
of  Germany,  Princess  Mary  of  Cambridge,  and  the 
Duke  of  Cambridge.  We  were  in  this  small  cham- 
ber for  a  few  moments,  and  the  intercourse  was 
informal. 

Lord  Spencer,  who  had  been  engaged  in  receiving 
his  royal  guests  and  had  spoken  briefly  to  the  King, 
now  entered  the  chamber  rather  hurriedly  and  ap- 
proached our  Chamberlain,  who  had,  I  have  said, 
a  very  dark  complexion,  saying:  "  Will  your  Majesty 
please  take  "  when  he  was  interrupted  by  our 


WITH    A    KING  231 

Chamberlain,  who,  seeing  the  mistake,  repHed :  "I 
am  not  his  Majesty;  he  is  over  there."  This  sHght 
error  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  Princess  Mary  of 
Cambridge. 

The  Earl  spoke  to  the  King,  who  then  took  the 
Princess  of  Wales  on  his  arm,  and  led  a  procession, 
followed  by  the  Prince,  and  by  Princess  Louise  and 
the  rest,  including  the  King's  suite,  to  the  large  hall, 
where  many  hundreds  of  noble  and  distinguished 
persons  awaited  them.  This  royal  body  moved 
slowly  through  lines  formed  by  the  guests,  and  after 
this  ceremony  was  over  there  began  the  functions 
of  a  conversazione  which,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  was 
substantially  a  close  watch  of  the  movements  of  the 
regal  party,  with  subdued  conversation. 

There  was  an  atmosphere  of  seriousness,  as  if  all 
were  engaged  in  anything  but  a  frolic ;  the  high-born 
women  seemed  to  be  anxious  to  get  near  to  the  Royal 
Family,  who  were  in  a  group,  informally  chatting 
with  acquaintances.  A  lady,  covered  with  magnifi- 
cent diamonds,  whom  I  had  met  at  the  garden  party, 
but  whose  name  I  could  not  recall,  kindly  offered  to 
point  out  the  grand  people  to  me,  and  as  we  moved 
about  we  heard  the  comments  made  upon  the  King: 
"  I  am  told  he  has  thirty  wives."  —  "  He  carries  him- 
self well."  —  "  The  Prince  has  taken  him  up."  — 
"  Where  is  his  country ;  is  it  near  America  ?  "  — 
"  Was  his  grandfather  a  cannibal  ?  " 

There  was  a  supper-room,  to  which  only  the  Royal 
Family  were  admitted  with  their  attendants  and 
close  friends.  My  clever  escort,  who  knew  every  one, 
pointed  out  the  statesmen,  the  men  with  great  line- 
age, the  soldiers  who  were  in  London  to-day  at  the 
clubs,  and  to-morrow  were  fighting  in  the  mountain 


232      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

passes  of  the  Himalayas,  or  chasing  savages  in  the 
African  jungle;  the  beautiful  women  of  the  aris- 
tocracy, not  at  all  numerous,  and  with  the  reputation 
for  personal  charms,  created  by  the  accidents  of  pub- 
lic opinion;  men  of  great  rank,  many  of  whom  de- 
scended from  ancestors  whose  characters  were  now 
protected  from  review  by  a  statute  of  limitations 
which  protects  the  memories  of  the  dead.  Upon  the 
tables  in  the  supper-room  were  salads,  ices,  cold 
meats,  and  champagne,  the  same  foods  and  drink 
which  are  consumed  by  the  vast  majority  of  English 
people  who  are  called  the  commonalty,  and  who 
accept  without  murmur,  even  with  pleasure,  their 
social  inferiority.  I  said  to  my  patrician  escort  that 
having  been  born  with  the  traditions  of  American 
democracy,  though  holding  for  a  time  some  political 
rank,  I  desired  to  know  from  one,  like  herself,  who 
occupied  those  rare  social  altitudes,  whether  there 
were  any  ecstatic  sensations  connected  with  such  life ; 
were  there  sensations  pervading  it  which  were  not 
permitted  to  those  of  low  rank.  She  replied  that  life 
was  a  great  bore,  and  the  aristocracy  found  it  as 
monotonous  as  other  people  found  it.  It  was  nothing 
but  a  chasing  of  baubles  and  shadows.  She  inquired, 
"  Is  your  party  in  ecstasies  because  you  have  seen 
so  many  new  countries,  and  courts,  and  kings  and 
queens?  "  I  replied  that  instead  of  being  in  ecstasies 
we  were  counting  the  hours  which  would  bring 
us  to  the  cocoanut  groves  and  the  valleys  of  our 
islands. 

I  was  then  summoned  to  attend  my  royal  master 
in  the  reception-room  from  which  we  had  started; 
from  it  we  returned  to  our  lodgings.  It  was  now 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  in  an  hour  kings 


WITH    A    KING  233 

and  princes,  noblemen  and  great  soldiers,  princesses 
and  beauties,  were  in  their  night-caps,  with  heads 
full  of  foolish  dreams,  restoring  themselves  for  a 
repetition  of  the  same  pageantry  the  following  days 
and  nights. 


234     AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XXV 

Ball  at  Hyde  Park  Barracks  —  Grand  Decorations  —  The 
Prince  of  Wales,  as  Colonel  of  the  Second  Life  Guards, 
Receives  the  Guests  —  Colonial  Banquet  at  Guildhall  — 
Builders  of  the  British  Empire  —  The  Prince  and  King 
Make  Speeches— The  King  Offends  the  Irish— The  Con- 
sequences —  Entertained  by  Lord  Brassey  at   Normalhurst 

—  Lunch  with  Prince  of  Wales  at  Sir  Christopher    Sykes's 

—  Dinner  at  Trinity  House  —  General  Grant's  Mistake  — 
Places  of  Interest  —  Handsome  Jewish  Women  —  Dinner 
with  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  —  The  King  Decorated  — 
He  Also  Decorates  the  Queen  and  Prince  of  Wales  — 
"  Punch "    and    the    King  —  Ball    at     Marlborough    House 

—  Lunch  with  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Teck  —  The 
"  Lion  "  Leaves  England  —  The  King  and  the  British 
Government. 

THE  following  evening  we  attended  a  ball  at 
the  Hyde  Park  barracks,  given  by  the  Second 
Life  Guards,  of  which  the  Prince  of  Wales  was 
Colonel-in-Chief.  The  decorations  of  the  great  ball- 
room rivalled  in  splendour,  but  not  in  delicate  taste, 
the  displays  of  the  Orient.  Around  it  was  a  crim- 
son dado,  and  above  it  the  polished  helmets  of  the 
Guards,  silver  kettledrums,  and  standards;  foun- 
tains surrounded  by  groups  of  rare  exotics  and 
flowers;  with  eight  magnificent  Louis  Seize  cande- 
labra on  ebony  and  ormolu  pedestals.  The  royal 
supper-room  was  decorated  with  fine  old  tapestries, 
the  floor  covered  with  Persian  carpets ;  and  the  table 
decorated  with  white  flowers. 

The  Prince,  as  the  Colonel  Commanding,  received 
the  King  and  suite  and  the  members  of  the  Royal 


WITH    A    KING  235 

Family.  One  would  suspect  that  the  members  of 
this  family  would  become  weary  of  meeting  each 
other  constantly  in  these  public  parades.  This  was, 
however,  their  mission  in  life,  and  no  doubt  they 
received  the  same  satisfaction  from,  the  discharge  of 
duty  which  Providence  had  imposed  upon  them  as 
the  priests  of  the  ancient  Jewish  nations  were  con- 
soled for  the  discharge  of  their  arduous  duties  by 
selecting  and  eating  the  choicest  parts  of  the  animals 
which  they  sacrificed. 

Two  lines  of  the  Guards,  tall  men,  with  polished 
helmets  and  glittering  cuirasses,  stood  immovable  as 
statues  while  the  guests  passed  between  them.  The 
dancing  was  without  life;  the  British  frame  is  too 
heavily  built  for  graceful  motion;  its  best  action  is 
in  endurance,  in  taking  ditches  and  fences,  or  in 
fighting  its  way  over  mountains  or  across  deserts. 
The  women  were  thick-set  and  heavy,  rarely  graceful 
or  willowy,  but  with  the  beauty  of  high  colour  and 
the  repose  of  great  physical  strength. 

The  next  evening  we  attended  the  Colonial  banquet 
given  by  the  Lord  Mayor  at  the  Guildhall,  at  which 
the  prominent  men  connected  with  the  Colonies  were 
brought  together.  The  Lord  Mayor,  in  gorgeous 
trappings,  received  the  King  at  the  door  and  led  him 
into  a  reception-room  where  the  Prince  of  Wales  had 
just  arrived.  The  attendants  were  in  ancient  and 
grotesque  livery.  One  of  them  announced  in  a  loud 
voice,  "  Your  Royal  Highness,  your  Majesty,  my 
Lord  Mayor,  dinner  is  served."  The  Lord  Mayor, 
with  the  Prince  on  his  right  and  the  King  on  his 
left,  entered  the  great  banqueting-hall,  in  which  three 
hundred  guests  stood  to  receive  them.  Many  of  the 
foremost  men  of  the  empire  were  there.    If  you  had 


236      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

mentioned  any  accessible  spot  on  the  earth  and  had 
asked  if  any  one  present  had  been  there,  some  one 
would  have  replied,  "  I  have."  These  men  were  the 
coral  insects,  who  were  building  up  the  atolls  of 
British  Empire  out  of  the  seas. 

At  the  close  of  the  formal  part  of  the  banquet  a 
choir  of  male  and  female  voices,  in  a  high  balcony, 
chanted  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  Lord  Mayor  then 
rose  and  said,  — 

"  Your  Royal  Highness,  your  Majesty,  my  Lords 
and  gentlemen,  charge  your  glasses." 

He  then  proposed  the  health  of  the  Queen.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  responded.  Much  practice  had  made 
him  an  adroit,  pleasant,  and  even  a  model  after- 
dinner  orator,  who,  indeed,  must  speak  in  public,  but 
by  the  inexorable  rule  of  the  British  unwritten  law, 
must  say  nothing.  As  firmly  as  Prometheus  was 
fastened  to  the  rock  is  the  Prince,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Queen,  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  political 
fence,  which  he  must  invariably  straddle,  for  he  can 
take  no  side  in  political  matters.  The  costermonger 
may,  as  a  British  freeman,  be  a  violent  partisan,  but 
under  the  strange  contrivances  of  the  British  Consti- 
tution the  King  must  remain  as  impassive  in  political 
life  as  the  image  of  Buddha  in  the  Hindu  religion; 
the  nation  elevates  him,  adores  him,  kisses  his  hand, 
but  stands  with  an  ugly  club  in  its  hands,  with  which 
it  hits  his  head  if  he  dares  even  to  enlighten  the 
thoughts  of  his  subjects. 

The  Lord  Mayor  again  rose,  and  said,  — 

"  Your  Royal  Highness,  my  Lords,  and  gentlemen, 
charge  your  glasses !  "  He  then  proposed  the  health 
of  King  Kalakaua  in  a  brief  speech  in  which  he  said 
that  in  his  travels  he  had  visited  the  kingdom  of 


WITH    A    KING  237 

Hawaii   and   found  all  things  there  which  were  a 
credit  to  civilisation. 

The  suite  had  selected  this  occasion  as  the  one  on 
which  the  King  might  properly  express  his  thanks 
publicly  for  the  favours  he  had  received  from  the 
Colonial  Governors  and  the  Royal  Family.  What  he 
said  would,  through  the  press,  reach  all  of  the  colo- 
nies he  had  visited.  At  his  request  I  prepared  the 
outlines  of  a  speech  which  he  attempted  to  memorise 
while  dressing  for  the  banquet;  but  late  hours  had 
made  him  sleepy,  and  his  excellent  memory  was  slug- 
gish. I  noticed  that  during  the  banquet  he  closed  his 
eyes  several  times.  At  this  time  there  was  intense 
feeling  in  England  against  the  Land  Leaguers  of 
Ireland,  —  a  matter  which  the  King  did  not  under- 
stand. He  had  intended  to  visit  Ireland  before  leav- 
ing for  the  United  States.  When  he  arose  to  respond 
to  the  toast,  he  began,  — 

"  Your  Royal  Highness,  my  Lord  Mayor,  and 
gentlemen  —  " 

Then  he  hesitated;  he  had  forgotten  the  prepared 
speech,  and  was  adrift  in  an  open  boat  on  the  squally 
and  dangerous  sea  of  an  impromptu  talk.  He  looked 
around  the  room,  at  the  ceiling,  at  the  three  hundred 
guests  who  watched  him,  but  was  imperturbable  as 
usual.  He  began  by  thanking  the  Royal  Family  and 
the  Colonial  Governors  for  their  hospitality,  and  de- 
clared that  no  event  in  his  tour  around  the  world  had 
given  him  more  pleasure  than  his  reception  in  London. 
Upon  this  there  was  much  applause,  and  he  instantly 
took  courage  for  more  speech. 

"  I  have,"  he  said,  "  no  political  parties  in  my 
own  country ;  there  are  no  Land  Leaguers  there 
[his    open    boat    began    to    rock    in    the    dangerous 


238     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

sea],  I  would  not  permit  such  men  to  trouble  my 
people." 

The  applause  was  great,  for  he  had  touched  the 
right  chord.  But  a  well-known  statesman  sitting 
next  to  me  whispered,  "  I  fear  he  will  hear  from  the 
Irish  about  this."  He  continued  for  a  few  moments 
longer,  and  sat  down  with  much  satisfaction  to  him- 
self and  amid  loud  applause.  His  Royal  Highness 
nodded  pleasantly  to  him  across  the  broad  form  of 
the  Lord  Mayor,  who  sat  between,  and  the  King 
looked  at  me  as  if  he  said :  "  You  see,  I  am  able  to 
take  care  of  myself." 

It  was  not  until  many  years  later  that  Kipling 
wrote  that  song  of  "  The  Native-Born,"  which  was 
most  fitting  for  this  occasion  in  Guildhall : 

"  I  charge  you  charge  your  glasses  — 
I  charge  you  drink  with  me 
To  the  men  of  the  Four  New  Nations, 
And  the  Islands  of  the  Sea.  .  .  . 

"  To  the  hearth  of  our  people's  people, — 

To  her  well-ploughed  windy  sea, 
To  the  hush  of  our  dread  high-altars 

Where  the  Abbey  makes  us  We  ; 
To  the  grist  of  the  slow-ground  ages, 

To  the  gain  that  is  yours  and  mine  — 
To  the  Bank  of  the  Open  Credit, 

To  the  Power-house  of  the  Line  !  " 

The  loving-cup  was  now  passed  around,  and  the 
Prince,  with  the  Lord  Mayor,  walked  with  the  King 
to  the  royal  carriage,  which  having  entered,  he  fell 
asleep  at  once. 

At  our  tea  the  next  morning  I  advised  the  King 
to  abandon  his  trip  to  Ireland  unless  he  was  ready 
to  face  showers  of  decayed  vegetables  and  an  Irish 


WITH    A    KING  239 

mob  of  the  Land  Leaguers.  He  said  the  British 
government  would  protect  him.  I  repHed,  "  It  may 
give  you  some  money  satisfaction,  but  you  will  get 
the  contents  of  a  hundred  swill-pails.  You  have  un- 
intentionally insulted  those  people ;  if  you  are  willing 
to  be  the  target  for  dead  cats,  I  am  not."  Mr.  Synge 
agreed  with  me.     The  trip  was  abandoned. 

A  few  days  later,  while  we  were  in  Berlin,  Mr. 
Synge  forwarded  to  me  a  copy  of  a  Dublin  news- 
paper which  contained  an  editorial  from  which  the 
following  is  an  extract :  — 

"  QUASHEE   ON    HIS    LeGS.  ' 

"  The  nominal  ruler  of  Hawaii,  who  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Ho-Ki-Po-Kia-Wua-Ki-Frum,  King  of  the 
Cannibal  Islands,  is  on  a  visit  to  England  in  quest  of 
subjects,  and  has  been  entertained  at  the  Mansion  House 
by  that  rabid  nonconformist,  Mr.  Lord  Mayor  Mc- 
Arthur;  this  great  grandson  of  the  Anthropophagi 
indulged  in  a  sneer  at  Ireland.  We  must  take  the  lib- 
erty of  giving  him  a  figurative  rap  over  the  knuckles." 

These  words  were  followed  by  a  column  of  invective 
comment  on  the  King's  speech  at  the  Colonial  dinner. 
I  showed  this  article  to  my  royal  master,  who  de- 
clared that  it  was  "  Irish  mud."  I  replied,  "  Your 
Majesty,  you  are  doing  well  by  Lord  Bacon's  advice, 
for  you  are  sucking  much  knowledge  of  foreign  coun- 
tries;   Irish  mud  comes  up  with  other  stuff." 

Sir  Thomas  and  Lady  Brassey,  by  reason  of  their 
pleasant  visit  to  the  King's  islands  in  the  "  Sunbeam," 
tendered  to  him  their  hospitality  in  their  fine  country 
seat  of  five  thousand  acres  at  Normalhurst,  near 
Hastings,  and  he  remained  there  one  night.     It  was 


^40     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

a  large  residence,  in  which  scores  of  guests  could  be 
entertained  at  the  same  time;  a  principality  in  itself, 
covering  gardens  and  forests  and  lakes.  The  mu- 
nicipal authorities  of  Hastings  presented  him  with  an 
"  address,"  which  is  the  common  and  rather  dreary 
form  of  expressing  municipal  good-will  in  Great 
Britain. 

The  following  day  we  had  luncheon  with  Sir 
Christopher  Sykes,  and  again  met  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  with  several  of  the  charming  beauties  who 
were  described  as  the  members  of  his  "  set."  In  the 
evening  we  attended  the  Board  of  Trade  banquet  in 
Trinity  House.  It  was  the  annual  dinner  given  by 
the  Board  of  Trade,  which  is  the  most  powerful 
corporation  of  the  city  of  London,  for  it  superintends 
marine  affairs.  The  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  King 
again  spoke;  the  direct  and  simple  speech  of  the 
Prince  resembled  other  speeches  which  he  constantly 
makes  as  the  spokesman  of  the  Queen,  but  differing 
from  each  other  as  one  human  face  differs  from  an- 
other. Among  the  distinguished  men  who  discharged 
the  office  of  after-dinner  orators  was  Sir  William 
Harcourt,  who  was  most  amusing.  It  was  said  that 
General  Grant,  who  attended  the  annual  banquet  two 
years  before,  had  been  misled  by  the  invitation  to 
"  Trinity  House,"  and  for  lack  of  inquiry  assumed 
that  it  had  some  connection  with  the  promotion  of 
the  interests  of  the  church ;  he  therefore  delivered 
a  devout  speech  on  the  propagation  of  the  gospel, 
which  surprised  the  guests,  who  looked  upon  their 
religion  as  they  do  upon  the  water  of  the  Thames,  — 
a  most  excellent  article  for  certain  uses,  but  not  to  be 
served  up  at  a  banquet. 

After  visiting  many  places,  the  next  day,  including 


WITH    A    KING  241 

Madame  Tussaud's  Museum,  the  Tower,  and  the 
National  Gallery,  the  King  in  the  evening  attended 
a  dinner  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Hoffnung,  a  com- 
mercial agent  of  his  government.  It  was  unlike  all 
other  banquets  for  the  surprise  it  gave  him  in  meet- 
ing a  number  of  the  most  beautiful  Jewish  women  in 
London.  At  no  place  in  any  country  did  he  see  so 
many  handsome  women  gathered  in  one  place  as 
there  were  here ;  for  their  dark  beauty  was  enhanced 
by  the  rich  colouring  which  is  developed  by  the 
English  climate. 

On  the  following  evening  we  dined  with  the  Bar- 
oness Burdett-Coutts,  in  Holly  Lodge.  The  house 
was  reached  through  a  covered  way  of  rocks  fan- 
tastically arranged  with  shells,  rare  plants,  and  col- 
oured lights;  so  that  it  was  like  a  grotto  of  the 
tropics;  the  lawns  and  old  trees  were  illuminated. 
The  Baroness,  with  a  singularly  benevolent  face  and 
quiet  manners,  had  a  talent  for  drawing  out  her 
guests  in  conversation;  she  seemed  to  carry  at  her 
girdle  a  bunch  of  many  keys  of  different  moulds, 
from  which  she  readily  selected  one  which  fitted  and 
opened  the  lock  of  the  brain  of  each  guest.  She 
opened  the  mind  of  the  Polynesian  King,  and  he 
talked  with  freedom  and  ease  about  the  traditions  of 
his  people.  A  peeress  who  was  one  of  the  guests 
asked  the  King  if  Tahiti  was  not  the  capital  of  his 
kingdom,  although  it  is  two  thousand  miles  distant 
from  it  and  is  a  French  possession.  Upon  this 
George  Augustus  Sala,  who  was  a  guest,  remarked 
that  although  the  English  people  traded  with  the 
world,  their  geographical  knowledge  was  most  lim- 
ited, as  it  was  considered  a  minor  matter  in  the 

schools. 

i6 


242     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

The  King  and  the  Baroness,  after  dinner,  played 
a  game  of  bilHards,  the  tally  of  which  was  kept  by 
the  Baroness's  young  husband. 

On  returning  to  Claridge's  the  King  found  a  letter 
from  the  Prime  Minister  in  which  he  stated  that  the 
Queen  had  conferred  on  him  the  Grand  Cross  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  George.  He  was  de- 
lighted with  this  gift,  and  in  turn  conferred  on  the 
Queen  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  the  Order  of  Kame- 
hameha.  While  the  King  was  decorated  with  many 
Orders,  there  was  none  which  he  sought  so  earnestly 
as  those  of  the  British  Queen.  It  was  not  an  Order 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  among  Englishmen,  but 
was  used  often  in  doing  honour  to  foreigners  of 
rank. 

"Punch"  did  not  ignore  the  King;  among  its 
shots  at  the  flying  follies  it  emptied  a  barrel  at  this 
royal  bird  of  passage.  Whatever  the  merit  of  this 
verse  may  be,  it  belongs  beyond  dispute  to  the  Vic- 
torian age :  — 

"  He  's  really  a  most  intelligent  wight, 
Who 's  looked  on  many  a  wonderful  sight, 
And  travelled  by  day,  and  eke  by  night, 
O'er  rivers  and  seas  and  dry  lands  ; 
But  wrongly,  it  seems,  his  name  we  say, 
And  print  it  too,  in  a  horrible  way, 
He  ought  to  be  called  King  Kalakua, 
This  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands." 

"  Punch's  "  review  of  the  debates  in  the  House  of 
Commons  referred  to  the  King,  who  had  visited  it 
with  Sir  Charles  Dilke. 

"  Sick  of  civilisation,  he  sighed  for  some  of  those 
scenes  of  savage  manners  among  which  he  had  been 
bred,     '  My  island  home  is  far  off,  I  will  go  to  the 


WITH    A    KING  243 

House  of  Commons.'  Sir  Charles  Dilke  pointed  out 
the  eminent  men.  '  Yes,  yes,'  said  the  King,  '  but  where 
is  Toby  ? '  Dilke  did  n't  like  this  urgency.  It  looked 
suspicious.  But  Dilke  said  the  King  never  cared  for 
dog  in  that  way,  and  besides  he  had  dined." 

When  the  King  read  this  allusion  to  his  inquiry 
for  "  Punch's  "  dog,  Toby,  he  declared  the  English- 
men had  often  eaten  dog  in  his  kingdom  and  enjoyed 
it,  in  the  belief  that  it  was  young  roast  pig. 

We  attended  the  last  of  the  dances  in  high  life, 
for  the  season,  at  Marlborough  House.  It  is  un- 
written law  that  on  this  occasion  the  Prince  is 
relieved  from  social  and  political  obligations  and 
invites  only  his  personal  friends.  It  was  necessary 
for  us  to  appear  in  knee-breeches.  The  unusually 
large  calves  of  the  King's  and  the  Chamberlain's 
legs,  though  in  just  proportion  to  their  size,  became 
the  distress  of  the  tailor,  for  stockings  of  ample  size 
could  not  be  obtained;  those  that  there  were  fitted 
so  tightly  we  feared  that  through  some  weakness  in 
their  texture  they  would  burst  open  at  an  inopportune 
moment.  His  Royal  Highness  wore  no  decorations 
but  that  presented  to  him  by  the  King.  The  pretty 
women  of  his  coterie  were,  as  usual,  there,  and  dia- 
monds were  as  common  as  pebbles.  Many  of  these 
beauties  looked  tired,  as  if  palled  with  the  sameness 
of  splendour;  as  if  they  had  been  diving  all  the 
season,  as  Balzac  said,  to  the  bottom  for  pleasure, 
and  had  brought  up  gravel.  Many  noted  men  of  the 
younger  class  moved  about  as  if  they  also  had  found 
pleasure  the  sternest  moralist.  Still  they  chatted  and 
grinned  like  the  inmates  of  the  hall  of  Eblis,  where 
it  was  mutually  agreed  that  though  each  of  them 


244     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

bore  grievous  diseases  it  should  be  denied  by  all  that 
there  was  any  suffering.  A  quiet  decorum  prevailed ; 
hilarity  was  forbidden  by  the  unwritten  law.  There 
was  music  by  the  stringed  pieces  and  some  languid 
dancing.  The  Princess  of  Wales  moved  about  with 
her  quiet,  sweet  smile  which  is  the  joy  of  England; 
she  was  a  mistress  of  the  art  of  warm  personal 
recognition.  The  gardens  were  lighted  with  Chinese 
lanterns,  and  the  supper  table  offered  salads,  cold 
meats,  ices,  and  wine.  At  two  o'clock  the  King 
became  sleepy,  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  led  him  to 
the  royal  carriage. 

We  took  luncheon  the  next  day  with  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Teck  in  Kensington  Palace.  As  they 
were  under  no  obligation  to  entertain  the  King,  the 
invitation  was  some  proof  of  the  estimation  in  which 
the  Royal  Family  held  his  manners  and  conduct. 
The  luncheon  was  entirely  informal,  and  was  served 
in  the  room  in  which  the  Queen  was  born;  in  the 
adjoining  room  she  held  her  first  Council  of  State 
on  ascending  the  throne.  The  children  of  the  family 
were  present,  one  of  whom  became  the  Duchess  of 
York.  The  Princess  Mary  was  in  fine  humour  and 
related  many  anecdotes  about  the  Palace  and  the 
Queen. 

Royal  banquets  are  seas,  and  conversations  the 
winds  that  pleasantly  ruffle  them.  We  often  found 
them  dead  seas,  or  subject  to  doldrums,  —  seas  on 
which  the  guests  floated  like  painted  ships  —  blaz- 
ing oceans  of  silence  —  without  a  ripple  from  the 
"  cat's  paw  "  of  a  story.  But  the  Princess  made  it 
sparkle  with  her  stories  of  incidents  connected  with 
this  palace. 

The  children,  who  were  allowed  to  be  present  at 


WITH    A    KING  245 

the  luncheon,  were  interested  in  the  dusky  monarch. 
There  was  no  expectation  at  that  time  that  the  young 
girl  who  sat  silently  watching  him  would  be  the 
future  Queen  of  England.  We  were  told,  afterward, 
that  the  Princess  wished  her  children  to  see  a  Poly- 
nesian king  with  attractive  manners. 

We  had  now  extended  our  visit  to  sixteen  days, 
and  still  the  King,  as  a  veritable  "  lion,"  was  over- 
whelmed with  invitations  to  luncheons,  balls,  and 
receptions.  Several  which  he  did  attend  in  great 
houses  I  do  not  mention,  because  they  were  repeti- 
tions of  those  I  have  described.  There  was  now 
some  danger,  in  my  opinion,  that  the  King  might 
outlast  his  welcome;  it  was  wise  to  leave  before  the 
"  lion  "  became  a  sucking  dove  or  the  Royal  Family 
began  to  yawn.  But  we  had  been  thrice  fortunate 
in  that  we  had  been  in  actual,  living  touch  for  so 
many  days  with  the  family  which  crowns  that  vast 
political  fabric  which  has  been  erected  in  these 
islands,  lying  off  the  coast  of  Europe,  after  centuries 
of  revolutions,  wars,  abdications,  dethronement,  be- 
headings, —  the  fabric  which  rules  one  fourth  of  the 
people  of  the  globe. 

By  the  King's  command  I  now  sent  to  Earl 
Granville  a  letter  in  which  the  thanks  of  the  King 
were  conveyed  to  the  Royal  Family  for  their  gracious 
hospitality.  We  were  informed  at  the  last  moment 
that  even  our  expenses  in  London  had  been  paid  by 
the  direction  of  the  Queen. 

Although  it  was  now  late  in  the  season,  we  deter- 
mined to  make  brief  visits  to  Belgium,  Germany, 
Austria,  France,  Spain,  and  Portugal. 

We  accordingly  took  the  train  for  Dover  en  route 
to  Ostend  and  Brussels.     We  also  adhered  to  our 


246     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

plan  of  not  giving  to  the  monarchs  of  these  countries 
any  formal  notice  of  our  intention  to  visit  them. 

While  still  in  England,  and  on  the  way  to  Dover, 
I  again  tried  to  enforce  a  moral  on  the  King's  mind 
from  the  incidents  and  experiences  which  were  fresh. 
The  kings  of  Hawaii  did  not  understand  the  nature 
of  ministerial  government  as  contrasted  with  kingly 
or  personal  government.  In  their  simple  minds,  if 
there  was  a  king,  he  should  rule.  The  fiction  of  a 
kingly  figurehead  as  it  existed  in  Great  Britain, 
which  was  essentially  the  rule  of  the  Commons,  or 
people,  was  an  intricate  arrangement  which  was  be- 
yond their  understanding.  The  white  subjects  of 
King  Kalakaua,  though  able  to  destroy  the  monarchy 
because  they  possessed  the  brains  and  wealth  of  his 
kingdom,  cordially  assented,  though  the  majority  of 
them  were  Americans,  to  its  rule,  but  insisted  that 
it  should  be  ministerial  rule.  By  refusing  to  submit 
to  this  form  of  government  the  King  had  already 
put  his  throne  in  great  jeopardy,  and  if  the  offence 
were  repeated  he  would  again  be  in  peril. 

I  explained  to  him  the  eccentric  growth  of  Par- 
liamentary rule,  but  I  was  invariably  met  with  this 
simple  inquiry :  "  What  is  the  use  of  having  a  queen 
if  she  cannot  rule?"  My  explanations  of  the  evo- 
lution of  the  British  Constitution  confused  him.  The 
gradual  modification  of  traditions  and  political  habits 
arising  out  of  many  circumstances  he  could  not  com- 
prehend. I  cautioned  him  against  trifling  with  the 
Anglo-Saxons,  who  were  his  most  powerful  subjects. 
Within  five  years  from  that  time  he  was  forced  to 
establish  ministerial  rule  by  a  bloodless  revolution, 
and  within  twelve  years  his  monarchy  was  extin- 
guished, as  the  sequel  will  show.     I  said  to  him  on 


WITH    A    KING  247 

this  occasion,  while  describing  the  growth  of  the 
Enghsh  government,  "  the  British  nation  has  a  pre- 
hensile tail,"  as  an  essayist,  Emerson,  says :  "  it  clings 
to  traditions  and  old  forms,  but  it  improves  their 
substance."  '''  Then,"  said  the  King,  "  it  is  a  mon- 
key government,  is  it?  I  don't  want  anything  of 
that  kind  in  my  country."  The  tube  through  which 
we  had  hoped  he  would  suck  wisdom  of  the  world 
was  defective;  all  that  rose  in  it  filtered  upward 
through  Polynesian  ideas. 


248     AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

Belgium  —  Consular  Offices  —  The  Battlefield  of  Waterloo  — 
Civilised  and  Pagan  Warfare  —  Visits  from  and  to  King 
Leopold  —  Berlin  —  Visit  to  Prince  William  and  Other 
Princes  in  Potsdam  —  Dines  with  Prince  William  —  Mili- 
tary Reviews  — The  Skeleton  Dances  — The  Royal  Hawaiian 
Band  —  Dinner  with  the  Red  Prince  —  Krupp's  Gun 
Factory. 

AT  the  railway  station  in  Brussels,  early  in  the 
morning-,  the  Count  de  Cannart  d'Hamale,  in  a 
brilliant  uniform,  received  us.  He  was  the  Hawaiian 
Consul-General  for  Belgium,  and  with  him,  in  a  uni- 
form less  imposing,  but  with  a  large  portfolio  under 
his  arm,  was  the  Chancellor  of  the  Consulate. 

Consular  offices  are  eagerly  sought  in  Europe  by 
European  residents,  although  they  are  not  salaried, 
are  without  income,  and  even  cost  the  occupant  some 
outlay.  These  offices  give  a  certain  social  standing 
to  the  holder,  and  entitle  him  to  public  recognition 
in  local  entertainments  and  to  the  privilege  of  wear- 
ing a  uniform,  which  may  be  as  expensive  as  the 
vanity  of  the  owner  chooses.  Often  the  Consul  re- 
ceives some  decoration  from  the  little  government 
he  represents,  which  enables  him  to  claim  some  social 
distinction  among  his  friends.  Among  the  annoy- 
ances which  now  confronted  us  during  the  tour 
through  Europe  were  the  applicants  for  consulships 
in  places  where  there  was  no  foreign  trade  with 
Hawaii,  and  the  earnest  requests  for  decorations  or 
Orders. 


The  King  of  Belgium  (1881) 


WITH    A    KING  249 

We  took  lodgings  in  the  Hotel  Belle- Vue.  King 
Leopold  of  Belgium  was  not  in  the  city;  but  one  of 
his  aides  promptly  called  and  told  us  he  would  be  at 
home  the  next  day  and  would  call. 

King  Kalakaua  had  looked  forward  with  great 
pleasure  to  a  visit  to  the  battlefield  of  Waterloo. 
So  at  once,  guided  by  an  aide  of  the  Belgian  King, 
we  drove  to  it,  but  unfortunately  in  a  deluge  of  rain 
(an  item  recorded  in  the  royal  jest-book  as  a  water- 
loo).  From  the  top  of  the  great  earth  mound  which 
the  British  have  built  on  the  field  in  commemoration 
of  their  victory,  under  umbrellas,  and  before  a  driv- 
ing rain,  the  King  looked  down  upon  the  grain  fields 
and  the  greenest  of  grass,  and  upon  the  objective 
point  in  that  stubborn  fight,  the  details  of  which 
were  clearly  fixed  in  his  memory. 

"  Your  Majesty  sees,"  I  said,  as  the  moralising 
Minister  of  State,  "  that  the  Christian  nations  settled 
their  differences  in  the  same  way  that  your  savage 
ancestors  did,  with  the  advantage  on  the  side  of  your 
ancestors  that  they  made  their  wars  economical  by 
eating  the  bodies  of  their  enemies  instead  of  letting 
them  rot  and  waste  as  they  are  wasted  in  Europe. 
Besides,  in  killing  and  eating  their  prisoners,  your 
warlike  ancestors  avoid  a  vast  amount  of  suffering 
which  arises  from  wounds,  disease,  and  broken  limbs." 
This,  I  said,  was  a  view  which  a  certain  English 
moralist  named  Carlyle  had  taken  on  the  subject,  and 
it  was  an  eminently  practical  one,  for  beyond  pepper 
and  salt  for  seasoning  a  victorious  army  need  carry 
no  rations. 

The  King  asked  me  why  the  great  nations  engaged 
in  war,  and  why  they  did  not  resort  to  arbitration. 
I  replied  that  the  explanation  of  this  strange  condi- 


250     AROUND    THE    WORLD 

tion  of  affairs  could  not  be  easily  explained  while  we 
were  standing  on  the  top  of  the  mound  in  a  rain- 
storm, but  I  would  repeat  to  him  a  remark  made 
by  John  Bright  In  Parliament,  that  "  all  the  wars 
England  had  been  engaged  in  could  have  been  avoided 
If  wisdom  and  prudence  and  patience  had  governed." 

My  royal  master,  like  a  good  military  critic,  did 
not  approve  of  some  of  Napoleon's  strategy ;  but  the 
details  of  this  criticism  I  will  not  repeat  here,  as  It 
Is  only  a  fragment  of  the  discussion  on  the  merits 
of  that  great  warrior  which  will  be  carried  on  for 
the  next  thousand  years. 

The  next  day  the  King  of  Belgium  returned  to 
Brussels  and  promptly  called  on  his  Hawaiian  Maj- 
esty. Though  his  palace  was  next  door  to  the  hotel, 
he  appeared  in  his  state  carriage,  with  footmen,  out- 
riders, and  an  escort  of  cavalry.  He  asked  King 
Kalakaua  many  questions  about  his  own  country  and 
about  the  Oriental  courts  he  had  visited.  After  an 
Interview  of  twenty  minutes  he  left.  Within  half  an 
hour  his  state  carriage,  with  Its  escort  of  cavalry, 
came  to  the  hotel,  and  we  entered  It,  drove  Into  the 
court-yard  of  the  palace,  which  was,  as  I  have  said, 
next  door,  and  returned  the  visit.  It  was  singular 
that  our  little  and  distant  kingdom  had  so  many  re- 
lations with  foreign  lands.  We  told  the  Belgian 
King  that  It  was  only  by  what  Is  called  an  "  acci- 
dent "  that  the  group  of  Hawaiian  Islands  was  not 
a  dependency  of  Belgium  at  this  time.  In  1840  some 
enterprising  Americans  obtained  from  one  of  the 
King's  predecessors  a  lease  of  nearly  all  the  public 
lands  of  the  group,  and  had  entered  into  contracts 
In  Brussels  for  the  emigration  of  large  numbers  of 
Belgian  peasants  who  should  become  settlers  upon 


The  Queen  of  Belgium  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  251 

these  lands;  but  before  the  contracts  were  concluded 
the  British  seized  the  islands  and  defeated  the  pro- 
ject. His  Hawaiian  Majesty  said  to  King  Leopold, 
"  If  this  plan  had  been  executed,  I,  instead  of  being 
the  king  of  the  islands,  would  be  one  of  your  subjects 
visiting  his  sovereign,"  This  incident  the  Belgian 
King  had  never  heard  of. 

As  we  could  not  remain  longer  in  Brussels  our 
King  declined  the  offer  of  hospitalities,  and  the  next 
morning  we  left  for  Berlin. 

In  Berlin  we  were  met  by  aides  and  officers  of 
the  German  court  and  taken  to  the  Hotel  de  Roma. 
The  Emperor  William  was  at  Ems.  The  next  day 
we  went  by  train  to  Potsdam,  where  a  state  carriage 
met  us,  and  we  were  taken  to  the  summer  residence 
of  Prince  William  (now  the  Emperor).  Both  the 
Prince  and  Princess  received  the  King  cordially. 
They  spoke  of  Prince  Henry's  visit  to  Hawaii,  and 
invited  us  to  dine  with  them  at  noon  the  following 
day.  We  then  called  upon  the  old  Prince  Charles, 
and  his  son  Prince  Frederick  Charles,  known  as  the 
Red  Prince,  who  also  invited  us  to  dine  with  him. 
We  were  driven  to  the  Emperor's  summer  palace  in 
the  forest,  with  the  lake  before  it,  and  the  stillness  of 
the  place  unbroken  save  by  the  sound  of  the  artificial 
cascades. 

At  dinner  the  next  day  Prince  William  appeared  in 
a  simple  military  uniform ;  both  he  and  the  Princess 
admired  the  King's  use  of  the  English  language ;  one 
could  see  in  the  manner  and  discourse  of  the  Prince 
that  he  was  somewhat  nervous  and  impetuous.  After 
dinner,  which  was  simple  in  comparison  with  the 
heavy  feasts  of  the  English,  we  were  led  about  the 
grounds  and  smoked  on  the  lawn.     The  Prince  re- 


252      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

gretted  the  absence  of  the  Emperor,  which  was  due 
to  the  hot  weather,  as  well  as  the  absence  of  his 
father,  the  Crown  Prince,  who  had  requested  him 
from  London  to  make  his  Majesty's  visit  pleasant. 
He  asked  if  there  were  any  objects  that  he  especially 
wished  to  see.  Now  the  King,  with  all  his  military 
studies,  was  anxious  to  see  military  manoeuvres,  but 
did  not  like  to  say  so;  he  said,  however,  that  he 
regretted  that  he  was  not  in  Berlin  at  the  time  when 
the  parade  took  place,  for  he  had  heard  and  read 
much  about  the  German  army.  The  Prince  replied 
that  during  the  hot  weather  the  grand  exercises  did 
not  take  place;  but  if  his  Majesty  would  be  pleased 
to  see  some  of  the  troops,  they  would  be  paraded 
next  day. 

The  next  morning  one  of  the  aides  called  with 
carriages,  and  drove  us  to  an  open  field  about  four 
miles  from  the  city.  We  had  hardly  drawn  up  on 
one  side  of  it  when  we  noticed  dust  in  the  distance, 
and  within  a  few  moments  eight  batteries,  each  of 
them  having  six  field  guns,  dashed  over  the  stumps 
and  broken  ground  with  the  horses  at  the  very  top 
of  their  speed.  Halting  instantly  at  a  certain  point, 
the  horses  were  detached,  the  guns  unlimbered,  and 
in  a  moment  forty-eight  guns  filled  the  air  with  thun- 
der and  smoke  in  their  discharges  at  targets  a  mile 
and  a  half  distant.  The  terrible  rapidity  with  which 
this  was  done  seemed  the  very  essence  of  masterly 
fighting.  The  artillery  then  passed  in  review  before 
the  King,  and  we  were  taken  some  distance  to  the 
field  of  cavalry  practice.  Seven  thousand  mounted 
men  passed  the  King  in  review,  and  then  practised 
evolutions  over  the  field.  Finally,  forming  a  line 
nearly  a  mile  long  on  one  side  of  the  field,  our  car- 


Prince   William  of  Prussia  and  Princess  Augusta  Victoria 
of  Schleswig  Holstein  (i88i). 


WITH    A    KING  253 

riage  being  in  the  centre  of  it,  a  charge  was  made. 
The  double  line  came  down  toward  the  carriage  like 
a  whirlwind ;  it  was  almost  upon  us,  the  speed  of  the 
horses  was  not  slackened,  and  in  spite  of  our  absolute 
safety,  as  the  charge  seemed  to  be  upon  us  we  rose 
in  the  carriage  as  if  we  would  jump  out.  The  charge, 
which  seemed  to  be  utterly  mad  and  headlong,  stopped 
with  the  noses  of  the  horses  at  the  wheels  of  the  car- 
riage. The  King  recovered  his  martial  spirits,  the 
Emperor's  aides  smiled,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  made 
a  capital  story  of  the  incident.  We  had  luncheon  in 
the  officers'  barracks  while  the  military  band  played 
the  Hawaiian  anthem.  Its  leader  sent  word  to  the 
King  that  Berger,  the  leader  of  the  Hawaiian  band, 
was  a  graduate  from  this  Berlin  band.  Thereupon 
the  King  asked  that  he  should  be  presented  to  him, 
and  after  it  was  done  the  bandmaster  declared  that 
the  King's  band  had  now  a  European  reputation; 
this  opinion  was  confirmed  during  this  tour.  When 
we  retired  there  suddenly  rose  from  the  band  the 
plaintive  music  of  some  of  our  native  melodies;  the 
fine-looking  German  officers  rose;  the  King  was 
toasted,  and  he  left  as  "  Hawaii  Ponoi  "  was  repeated 
with  "  The  Watch  on  the  Rhine." 

An  invitation  was  received  from  the  King's  Consul- 
General  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  to  enjoy  a  yachting 
excursion  about  the  North  Sea,  but  it  could  not  be 
accepted.  One  of  the  Swedish  illustrated  papers 
represented  the  meeting  of  the  British  Queen  and  the 
Hawaiian  King,  in  which  the  ancient  royal  etiquette 
of  kissing  was  observed.  The  letterpress  was:  (The 
Queen),  "  Sire,  you  are  a  bad  fellow;  you  bit  me." 
She  hesitates,  then  continues :  —  "  but  you  are  such 
a  sweet  thing  you  may  kiss  me  again." 


254      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

The  King  reviewed  a  large  body  of  infantry  the 
next  day,  but  the  little  skeleton  in  the  royal  closet 
rattled  incessantly,  for  he  was  repeatedly  asked, 
"How  large  is  your  Majesty's  army?"  But  this 
time,  in  the  presence  of  the  magnificent  German 
force,  he  faced  the  truth  and  meekly  replied,  "  I  have 
no  army." 

At  noon  we  went  to  Potsdam  again  and  dined  with 
the  Red  Prince,  and  called  upon  Prince  William  in 
order  to  take  leave.  The  King  thanked  him  for  di- 
recting a  review  of  the  artillery,  cavalry,  and  in- 
fantry; the  Prince  replied  that  he  regretted  that  the 
Emperor,  also  his  father,  and  his  brother.  Prince 
Henry,  were  absent,  and  urged  the  King  to  remain 
and  visit  some  of  the  German  cities.  We  visited 
Krupp's  gun  factory  at  Essen.  Many  persons  were 
presented  to  the  King  in  the  office  of  the  gun  factory. 
He  desired  to  decorate  Mr.  Krupp,  but  in  the  multi- 
tude of  presentations  he  mistook  an  old  gentleman 
for  Krupp  and  conferred  the  honour  on  him;  this 
was  an  embarrassment  which  was  subsequently  re- 
lieved by  correspondence  and  explanations. 


-€!•-# 


V 


Franz  Joseph  I,  Emperor  of  Austria  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  255 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

Vienna  —  The  Royal  Family  Represented  by  Archduke  Al- 
brecht  —  Mr.  Phelps,  the  American  Minister,  and  Mr. 
Schuyler,  the  United  States  Consul-General  —  A  Yale 
Jubilee  —  The  King  Reviews  Austrian  Troops  —  Proposed 
Guarantee  of  Hawaiian  Independence  —  The  King  Enjoys 
Himself  on  the  Prater  —  Reporters  —  Paris  —  No  Recep- 
tion by  the  French  Government  —  Unravelling  the  Mystery 

—  Our  Bad  Manners  —  Question  of  Declaring  War  Against 
France  —  Reconciliation  —  An    Incident    of    the    Commune 

—  Minister  St.  Hilaire  Calls  —  Requests  for  Decorations  — 
Count  de  Lesseps  —  The  Ballet  Girls  at  the  Opera. 

WE  left  for  Vienna  without  hope  of  seeing  the 
royal  family,  as  it  had  left  the  city  for  the 
summer  season.  One  of  the  Emperor's  aides,  and  a 
captain  of  the  navy  who  had  visited  Hawaii,  received 
us,  tog-ether  with  the  King's  Consul-General  residing 
in  Vienna.  At  the  Imperial  Hotel  many  officials 
called,  among  them  the  Archduke  Albrecht,  the 
only  member  of  the  royal  family  in  the  city.  Mr. 
William  Walter  Phelps,  the  American  Minister  at  the 
Austrian  court,  and  Mr.  Eugene  Schuyler,  the  Amer- 
ican charge  d'affaires  at  Bucharest,  my  old  college 
friends,  also  called,  and  were  presented  to  the  King. 
After  their  presentation  was  made  with  due  cere- 
mony, they  retired  to  my  apartments  and  we  had  a 
Yale  jubilee.  It  was  a  singular  incident  that  three 
friends,  intimate  in  college  days  and  afterward, 
should  suddenly  meet  in  the  capital  of  the  Austrian 
Empire:  one  as  the  Minister  of  the  United  States, 
another  already  distinguished  as  a  diplomat  and 
scholar,  and  the  third  as  the  Minister  of  the  Polynesian 


256      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

ruler  of  about  the  smallest  kingdom  of  the  world.  We 
discarded  for  the  time,  however,  all  earthly  distinc- 
tions, and  when,  later,  the  King  asked  what  song  we 
were  singing  in  my  apartments,  I  replied,  "  It 's  a 
Way  We  Have  at  Old  Yale."  For  the  purpose  of 
recalling  our  old  associations  we  converted  the  large 
centre  table  of  the  apartment  into  the  old  fence  in 
front  of  ancient  South  College,  and  were  once  more 
boys  of  Old  Eli.  I,  the  oldest  of  the  three,  have  out- 
lived them,  for  these  splendid  men  died  at  the  noon 
of  their  lives,  before  they  had  even  cast  shadows. 

That  evening  the  King  dined  with  Mr.  Phelps  and 
then  occupied  the  Emperor's  box  at  the  Royal  Opera. 
The  next  day  he  reviewed  the  Imperial  troops  sta- 
tioned in  the  city ;  it  was  said  that  he  quickly  and  in- 
telligently distinguished  the  difference  in  the  drill 
tactics  of  the  Austrian  and  German  armies. 

There  were  rumours  published  in  the  press  that 
the  King  intended  to  sell  his  islands  to  some  Euro- 
pean Power;  but  these  were  mere  jests.  To  one  of 
the  newspaper  correspondents,  however,  he  said, 
while  denying  these  rumours,  that  the  European 
Powers  should  unite  in  a  joint  guarantee  of  the  inde- 
pendence of  his  kingdom.  He  was  still  under  the 
influence  of  the  Italian  adventurer,  although,  aside 
from  it,  he  had  a  vague  feeling  that  he  was  con- 
fronted with  the  "  manifest  destiny  "  of  the  United 
States.  Any  active  movement  at  this  time  toward 
obtaining  such  a  guarantee  would  have  involved  us 
in  trouble,  as  the  United  States  would  have  firmly 
declared  to  the  European  Powers  that  the  King's 
islands  were  within  "  the  sphere  of  American  influ- 
ence," and  such  a  guarantee  would  have  been  resented 
as  an  unwarrantable  interference.     Mr.  Phelps  and 


Elisabeth,  Empress  of  Austria  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  257 

Mr.  Schuyler,  on  my  suggestion,  quietly  but  ear- 
nestly, in  a  conversation  with  the  King,  urged  him 
not  to  make  any  effort  to  secure  such  a  guarantee, 
and  he  abandoned  the  scheme. 

The  King  unfortunately,  with  the  Austrian  gentle- 
men attending  him,  visited  one  of  the  noted  music 
and  beer  gardens,  the  Prater,  and  was  placed  in  a 
conspicuous  place;  he  drank  wine  and  beer,  and, 
while  walking  about  the  place,  was  approached  by  a 
pretty  Viennese  girl  who  bowed  to  him  and  asked 
him  to  dance  with  her.  He  instantly  assented,  and 
was  soon  waltzing,  and  surrounded  by  a  large  crowd, 
who  watched  him  with  much  interest.  The  reporters 
of  the  Viennese  newspapers  were  the  most  persistent 
and  impudent  news-gatherers  we  met  in  Europe; 
they  swarmed  in  our  hotel,  noted  and  published  the 
names  of  the  dishes  of  which  the  King  ate  and  the 
number  of  glasses  of  wine  which  he  drank,  his  man- 
ner of  holding  a  napkin,  and  the  smallest  details 
regarding  his  dress.  A  legion  of  them  followed  him 
to  the  beer-garden.  The  following  morning  the  news- 
papers published  picturesque  and  exaggerated  de- 
scriptions of  his  dancing  in  the  Prater;  and  these 
were  sent  by  telegram  to  many  cities  of  Europe, 
including  Paris,  to  which  place  we  were  next  to  go; 
and  with  these  was  sent  a  statement,  without  founda- 
tion, that  the  Emperor  of  Austria  had  requested  him 
to  leave  the  empire. 

The  people  gathered  in  the  Prater,  however,  ap- 
proved of  the  King's  democratic  manners,  and  when 
the  band  rendered  the  Hawaiian  national  anthem  they 
rose  and  uncovered.  The  press  editorially  spoke  of 
the  King  as  a  good-natured,  enlightened,  and  liberal 
monarch,   a  suitable  model   for  a  European   ruler; 

17 


258      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

the  correspondent  of  the  London  "  Times  "  reported 
to  his  paper  that  the  Austrian  government  had  gone 
out  of  its  way  to  make  his  visit  an  agreeable  one. 

When  we  reached  Paris  no  representative  of  the 
French  government  met  us ;  for  the  first  time  in  the 
tour  we  met  the  cold  shoulder,  and  we  were  without 
knowledge  of  the  reason  for  it.  The  King  was  much 
aggrieved  at  this  want  of  hospitality,  for  the  French 
Foreign  Office  had  sent  him  a  telegram,  while  we 
were  in  London,  inviting  him  to  attend  the  Fetes  of 
July  in  Paris,  as  the  President's  guest.  I  advised  the 
King  to  assume  his  incognito  and  pay  no  attention  to 
the  French  court.  He  was,  I  suspected,  anxious  to 
get  the  decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  and 
insisted  on  an  explanation,  as  his  government  had 
a  treaty  with  France,  and  a  French  diplomatic  com- 
missioner resided  at  his  own  court.  As  I  now  had 
some  experience  in  the  ways  of  royal  etiquette,  I  re- 
sorted to  a  very  simple  plan  of  finding  the  reason  for 
this  apparent  discourtesy.  I  called  upon  the  Minister 
from  Portugal  to  the  French  Republic,  who  was  an 
old  and  kindly  man  with  large  experience  in  public 
affairs.  He  received  me  cordially,  upon  which  I 
frankly  told  him  what  the  situation  was  and  asked 
his  advice.  He  advised  me  to  call  at  the  Foreign 
Office  at  once  and  inquire.  I  called,  with  some  feeling 
of  humiliation,  but  believing  that  it  was  wise  to  do 
so  under  the  circumstances.  I  was  courteously  re- 
ceived by  the  Chef  du  Cabinet,  who  in  a  polite  man- 
ner, without  any  arrogance,  said  that  the  King  "  had 
not  reciprocated  the  courtesies  of  the  French  govern- 
ment," for  he  had  failed  to  notify  it  of  his  presence 
in  Paris  while  in  transit  to  London,  and,  moreover, 
had  declined  to  accept  the  invitation  to  the  Fetes  of 


President  Grevy  of  France  (i88i), 


WITH    A    KING  259 

July;  he  had  even  neglected  to  inform  the  govern- 
ment of  his  intention  to  visit  Paris.  I  replied  by 
stating  that  we  much  regretted  any  neglect  of  the  re- 
quirements of  etiquette;  it  arose  from  our  residence 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  world.  He  then  said  that  these 
errors  would  be  overlooked,  but  President  Grevy 
would  leave  the  city  within  an  hour,  and  it  would  be 
impossible  to  arrange  an  interview.  M.  Mollard,  the 
introducer  of  ambassadors,  he  said,  would  call  upon 
the  King,  but  there  were  no  longer  any  court  enter- 
tainments, as  the  season  had  closed  and  everybody 
was  out  of  town. 

I  reported  this  interview  to  the  King  and  his 
Chamberlain,  both  of  whom  were  dissatisfied  with  it, 
and  especially  the  intimation  that  we  were  ignorant 
of  the  forms  of  royal  etiquette.  This  sudden  sup- 
pression of  modesty  by  our  royal  party  certainly 
amused  me.  I  believed  that  it  might  be  due  to  some 
vanity  inspired  by  our  gracious  reception  in  London, 
Berlin,  and  Vienna. 

I  then  said  if  the  King  would  make  no  concession 
the  acts  of  the  French  government  might  be  regarded 
as  offensive  and  would  justify  a  prompt  declaration 
of  war.  As  we  were  already  within  the  city,  the 
Chamberlain,  as  Colonel  commanding,  could  repre- 
sent the  army  itself,  and  seize  the  heights  of  Mont- 
martre,  and  then  work  around  and  spike  the  guns  of 
Mont  Valerien ;  while  his  Majesty,  with  the  maps 
before  him,  could  direct  the  general  campaign;  and 
I,  as  a  diplomat,  could  at  the  proper  time  negotiate 
the  terms  on  which  we  would  accept  the  surrender 
of  the  city. 

The  King  refused  to  resort  to  harsh  means,  luit  de- 
scribed the  French  Foreign  Office  as  a  "  mean  lot." 


260      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

He  then  took  a  drive  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and 
visited  the  Hippodrome.  On  his  return,  M.  Mollard, 
the  introducer  of  ambassadors,  called,  and,  after  cour- 
teously discussing  our  errors,  placed  the  President's 
box  in  the  Opera  at  the  King's  service,  and  asked  him 
to  visit  Versailles  and  the  porcelain  works  at  Sevres. 
This  interview  closed  the  incident;  the  prices  of 
stocks  on  the  Bourse  were  not  disturbed;  a  State 
paper  placing  before  the  world  our  reasons  for  de- 
claring war  against  France  was  not  written. 

Trivial  incidents,  like  small  matches,  may  explode 
great  magazines.  Had  the  incident  not  been  closed 
at  this  time,  six  months  later  the  Hawaiian  fleet  of 
sixty  double  war-canoes  would  have  appeared  off 
Havre,  and  Europe  been  cast  again  in  convulsions. 
I  take  to  myself  much  credit  for  avoiding  this 
catastrophe. 

M.  St.  Hilaire,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
called  upon  the  King.  He  spoke  of  the  unbroken 
amity  which  had  existed  between  the  two  countries. 
This  was  not  true,  for  reasons  which  I  have  before 
stated.  The  Minister  regretted,  he  said,  that  the 
President  had  been  unable  to  meet  the  King,  but 
would  receive  him  if  he  remained  in  Paris  for  another 
week.  Not  at  this  time,  but  after  his  return  to  his 
own  kingdom,  decorations  were  exchanged  with  the 
French  government. 

I  had  told  the  King  of  an  incident  of  the  massacre 
of  the  Communists  by  the  Versailles  troops  in  1870, 
of  which  I  was  aware  because  I  was  in  Paris  just 
before  and  after  it  occurred.  He  wished  to  see  the 
spot  on  the  Heights  of  Montmartre  where  it  oc- 
curred, and  we  visited  it.  A  boy  twelve  years  of  age 
served  one  of  the  Commune  field-pieces  with  great 


WITH    A    KING  261 

skill,  while  it  was  planted  behind  one  of  the  street 
barricades.  By  a  flank  movement  of  the  Versailles 
troops  the  few  remaining  Communists,  with  the  boy, 
were  captured,  and  at  once  were  placed  in  line  to  be 
shot.  "  Mon  capitaine,"  asked  the  boy,  "  give  me 
three  minutes  to  take  this  watch  to  my  poor  grand- 
mother in  the  next  street;  it  is  all  she  has  left," 
"  Yes,"  replied  the  captain,  thinking  that  he  would 
never  return.  Within  three  minutes  the  boy  ap- 
peared, took  his  place  before  the  muskets,  said,  "  Cap- 
tain, I  am  here,"  and  fell  with  the  next  volley. 

At  this  time  Colonel  George  Macfarlane,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  King's  staff,  arrived  from  the 
Hawaiian  kingdom  and  continued  with  the  royal 
party  until  it  finished  its  tour.  He  reported  to  the 
King  that  there  was  tranquillity  at  home,  and  that 
his  Majesty's  subjects  awaited  his  return  with 
schemes  of  prosperity  which  would  make  their  idle 
lot  still  more  idle. 

After  brief  visits  to  the  former  site  of  the  Bastille, 
the  Conciergerie,  the  site  of  the  ancient  Hotel  de 
Ville,  the  galleries  of  the  Louvre,  the  Palace  of  Ver- 
sailles, and  the  porcelain  works  at  Sevres,  the  King 
was  quite  ready  to  leave,  as  the  weather  was  so 
warm. 

During  the  few  days  we  were  in  Paris  numerous 
requests  were  made  for  decorations.  Merchants, 
politicians,  and  idle  men  about  town  wished  to  secure 
some  of  these  distinctions  given  by  royalty.  One  who 
claimed  to  be  a  savant  desired  an  Order  because  he 
had  discovered  some  new  bugs;  another  claimed 
that  he  had  served  on  a  warship  which  had  visited 
Hawaii;  another,  that  he  was  the  author  of  a  great 
book ;  another,  that  he  had  killed  a  ferocious  tiger  in 


262      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Algeria.  While  the  decorations  of  the  Spanish  re- 
publics of  South  America  could  be  readily  obtained, 
they  did  not  have  the  seal  of  monarchy  on  them  and 
were  much  discredited.  But  these  were  refused  by 
the  King,  as  he  now  held  them  in  much  esteem,  since 
he  had  secured  high  standing  in  the  courts  of  Europe. 

The  Count  de  Lesseps  called  on  us,  and  asked  his 
Majesty  to  dine  at  his  residence  in  Passy.  We  there 
met  the  Countess,  a  young  and  charming  woman  with 
nine  children.  After  the  dinner  there  was  a  reception 
to  which  many  people  came ;  it  was  the  only  occasion 
on  which  the  King  met  Parisian  women.  He  noticed 
their  vivacity  and  faultless  dress;  no  doubt  they  had 
much  amusement  at  our  expense,  for  the  majority  of 
them  did  not  know  where  the  King's  country  was 
situated ;  one  of  them  placed  it  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  another  near  Patagonia. 

The  Count  said  that  a  canal  would  at  some  time 
be  constructed  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien;  but  he 
did  not  then  foresee  that  he  would  himself  promote 
it,  and  that  the  scandal  attending  it  would  for  ever 
cloud  his  great  reputation.  He  hoped  that  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  (ties  de  Sandwich)  would  become 
the  great  free  port  of  the  Pacific. 

During  the  rendering  of  "  Aida  "  at  the  Opera  the 
King  visited  the  green-room,  and  the  ballerines 
showed  him  the  exercise  which  kept  their  limbs 
supple.  They  were  told  that  the  King  was  a  very 
proper  person ;  he  was  not  un  roi  pour  rire,  and  had 
a  corps  de  ballet  of  his  own  numbering  a  hundred. 
Whereupon  one  of  them  asked  him  how  they  danced. 
He  replied,  like  the  nautch-dancers,  and  one  of  them 
then  fell  to  a  clever  imitation  of  it,  closing  with  a 
cancan  which  nearly  put  the  King's  nose  in  jeopardy. 


WITH    A    KING  263 

With  the  recent  example  of  the  Prince  of  Wales 
before  him,  he  visited  the  office  of  "  Figaro  "  and  be- 
came a  subscriber.  "  This,"  said  one  of  the  reporters, 
"  will  enable  him,  when  he  comes  here  to  live  as  a 
subsidised  monarch,  to  speak  French  and  understand 
the  chansons  of  the  opera  bouffe." 

The  Ministers  of  Spain  and  Portugal  called  on  the 
King,  and  told  him  that  he  would  be  officially  received 
in  Madrid  and  Lisbon,  but  that  the  King  of  Spain  was 
at  a  watering-place  and  would  not  be  able  to  meet 
him. 


264      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

At  the  Spanish  Frontier  —  The  Escurial  —  Reception  at  Ma- 
drid—Our Car  Derailed  by  a  Cow — Portugal— The  Royal 
Car  —  Received  by  the  King  and  Queen  —  The  Little 
Skeleton  Again  —  Mutual  Decorations  —  Dom  Fernando  — 
Portuguese  in  Hawaii  —  Cintra  —  Pena  —  A  Magnificent 
Outlook  —  Dinner  with  the  Portuguese  King  —  A  Narrow 
Escape  for  Vasco  da  Gama  as  Told  by  His  Descendant  — 
A  Bull-Fight  —  Good-Bye  to  Portugal  —  The  Monarchs 
Embrace  —  Negotiating  a  Treaty  —  The  King  Starts  for 
Home  via  Spain,  France,  England,  Scotland,  and  the  United 
States  —  The  Valet's  Estimate  of  His  Position. 

AT  the  Spanish  frontier  we  were  received  with 
some  ceremony;  we  left  the  train  for  a  brief 
visit  to  the  Escurial.  The  Governor  of  the  place  met 
us,  and  led  us  down  to  the  vaults  where  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  kings  and  queens  were  laid;  through  the 
rooms  of  the  palace,  with  its  fine  tapestries ;  and  then, 
with  a  guard  of  honour,  we  returned  to  the  train. 
At  Madrid,  carpets  were  spread  in  the  railway  station 
for  the  royal  feet,  and  a  large  crowd,  which  was  there 
to  see  a  Polynesian  king,  was  kept  in  order  by  a 
detachment  of  troops.  The  Governor  of  Madrid  took 
us  in  state  carriages  to  the  palace,  through  which  we 
strolled,  and  thence  to  the  Plaza.  Afterward  we 
dined  and  drove  to  the  station.  The  Governor  asked 
the  King  to  revisit  Madrid  on  his  return  from  Lis- 
bon ;  for  he  said  he  had  been  instructed  by  the  Regent 
of  Spain  to  entertain  his  Majesty. 

As  there  was  no  sleeping-car  on  the  train  which 
took  us  to  Portugal,  we  dozed  in  chairs  and  on  the 


The  Queen  of  Spain  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  265 

floor.  At  a  station  we  passed  a  train  in  which  were 
two  of  our  Hawaiian  white  compatriots  travelHng  for 
pleasure,  and  we  ended  a  miserable  night  by  the  de- 
railing of  the  car  by  a  cow.  The  trainmen  first  spent 
half  an  hour  inspecting  the  mangled  beast ;  and  then, 
with  infinite  talk  and  the  smoking  of  many  cigarettes, 
devised  plans  for  restoring  the  cars  to  the  rails,  which 
was  finally  done  after  much  delay. 

At  Badajoz,  on  the  Spanish  frontier,  the  Portu- 
guese officials  placed  us  in  the  royal  car  of  their  King, 
which  they  had  brought  from  Lisbon,  at  which  place 
we  arrived  early  in  the  morning.  The  Portuguese 
Chamberlain  met  us,  with  the  royal  carriages,  and 
with  an  escort  of  cavalry  we  went  to  the  Hotel  Bra- 
ganza,  before  which  stood  a  battalion  of  infantry. 

In  the  afternoon,  in  the  royal  carriages,  we  called 
upon  the  King  of  Portugal.  The  drive  was  along  the 
Tagus  to  the  Palace  of  Adjuda,  situated  on  high 
ground  overlooking  the  river.  At  the  gates  of  the 
palace  men  armed  with  ancient  halberds  lined  the  way 
to  the  entrance,  where  we  were  met  by  Dom  Luis, 
'■  King  of  Portugal  and  the  Algarvies,  without  and 
beyond  the  seas,  in  Africa,  Lord  of  Guiana,  and  of 
the  Navigation  and  Commerce  of  Ethiopia,  Arabia, 
Persia,  and  the  Indies."  He  and  his  predecessors 
had  been  robbed  of  many  of  these  possessions  by  an 
envious  and  thieving  world,  but  he  retained  the  titles 
as  certificates  of  the  past  glory  of  his  throne. 

The  monarchs  walked  beside  each  other  through 
several  chambers  to  the  reception-room,  where  the 
Queen,  with  her  ladies,  was  standing.  Her  Majesty 
Maria  Pia,  a  sister  of  Victor  Emmanuel  of  Italy,  was 
tall  and  graceful,  but  extremely  homely ;  an  excellent 
rider  on  horseback,  a  good  shot,  quick  in  retort,  the 


266      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

owner  of  costly  jewels,  and  withal  most  charitable 
and  fond  of  botanic  study.  Dom  Luis  was  short  and 
stout,  and  with  something  of  the  bluff  ness  of  a  sailor ; 
he  was  in  command  of  the  warship  "  Bartolommeo 
Diaz  "  when  his  brother  died,  and  from  the  deck  he 
ascended  the  throne. 

After  a  brief  conversation  the  King  presented  me, 
and  then  his  Chamberlain  and  Col.  Macfarlane,  his 
new  aide,  and  Mr.  Abram  Hoffnung,  now  an  attache. 
The  Portuguese  King,  looking  up  at  the  Chamberlain, 
who  towered  above  him  in  his  military  uniform,  said, 
"Ah!  you  belong  to  his  Majesty's  army?  How 
large  is  it?  "  The  little  skeleton  rattled  again  in  the 
royal  closet;  but  the  Hawaiian  King,  relieved  from 
taxing  his  brain  for  an  answer,  smiled  as  he  saw  his 
own  Chamberlain  in  the  pitiless  bog,  and  left  him 
with  a  free  hand  to  extricate  himself.  The  reply,  as 
usual,  referred  to  volunteers  and  regulars,  but  ne- 
glected figures,  and  adroitly  changed  the  subject  by 
a  statement  about  the  navies  of  the  world  which  pro- 
tected our  independence,  —  a  matter  which  greatly 
interested  his  Portuguese  Majesty. 

We  retired  with  the  usual  ceremony,  and  within 
an  hour  Dom  Luis  returned  the  visit.  He  presented 
to  the  King  the  insignia  of  the  Grand  Cross  of 
"  Our  Lady  of  the  Conception,"  and  the  decora- 
tions of  a  lesser  rank  to  each  of  the  suite;  and  in 
return  he  and  his  Ministers  received  the  promise  of 
Hawaiian  Orders,  which  were  later  sent  to  them 
from  Paris. 

Following  the  Portuguese  King,  Dom  Fernando, 
his  father,  who  had  been  Regent  during  the  minor- 
ity of  Dom  Luis' s  brother,  called.  He  had  been  a 
conspicuous  figure  in  Europe.     He  had  refused  the 


Dom  Fernando,  Regent  of  Portugal  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  267 

crowns  of  Greece  and  of  Spain,  on  the  ground,  he 
said,  that  they  would  only  be  crowns  of  thorns.  His 
suggestion  of  placing  Prince  Leopold,  a  Hohenzol- 
lern,  who  had  married  his  daughter,  upon  the  throne 
of  Spain,  was  the  immediate  or  ostensible  cause  of 
the  Franco-Prussian  war.  For  his  third  wife  he  had 
married  Miss  Hensler,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  an 
opera-singer,  who  was  an  attractive  person,  but  who 
was  not,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  in  favour  with  the 
court.  This  refuser  of  two  crowns,  and  the  apparent 
cause  of  one  of  the  great  wars  of  the  world,  was  to 
us  a  most  interesting  person.  He  was  a  good  linguist, 
promoted  the  arts,  and  had  wide  knowledge  of  affairs. 
He  was  extremely  simple  in  manners,  and  plied  us 
with  questions  about  our  own  country  and  its  Por- 
tuguese inhabitants. 

Again  appeared  the  curious  relations  of  our  little 
and  remote  kingdom  with  the  European  countries. 
At  this  time  several  thousands  of  Portuguese  subjects 
had  emigrated  from  the  Azores  and  had  settled  in 
Hawaii  as  labourers  on  the  sugar  plantations.  They 
remained  Portuguese  subjects,  but  were  in  fact  joint 
subjects  of  the  two  kings.  I  was  authorised  to  ini- 
tiate a  treaty  between  the  two  countries  which  would 
enlarge  this  emigration.  Within  three  years  from 
this  time  the  Portuguese  had  emigrated  in  such  num- 
bers to  Hawaii  that  under  a  good  military  leader 
they  would  have  been  able  to  have  taken  possession 
of  the  country  and  made  it  a  Portuguese  colony, 
provided  the  American  star  of  empire  did  not  rain 
a  "  ghastly  dew  "  upon  the  scheme. 

We  visited  Cintra  the  next  day.  From  the  palace, 
which  was  the  Alhambra  of  the  Moorish  kings,  rose 
two  lofty  cones,  visible  at  a  long  distance  and  most 


268      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

impressive.  But  on  entering  the  building  it  appeared 
that  these  impressive  cones  were  vast  chimneys,  ex- 
panded at  the  base,  and  invented  by  some  eccentric 
architect  to  discharge  the  smoke  and  odours  of  the 
kitchen  into  the  clouds.  By  far  the  most  magnificent 
site  for  a  palace  which  we  saw  during  our  tour  was 
Pena,  built  near  by,  on  a  pinnacle  of  rock,  with  a 
sheer,  vertical  descent  of  a  thousand  feet  from  its 
bastions  to  the  ocean.  A  winding  road  leads  up  to 
this  palace  on  the  summit,  which  is  an  old  castle  in 
the  Moorish  style,  with  Gothic  archways,  picturesque 
drawbridges,  great  chambers  with  frescoed  ceilings 
and  innumerable  carvings.  One  may  step  from  the 
banquet-hall  to  the  balcony  and  toss  a  pebble  over 
its  low  parapet  into  the  surf  at  its  base.  The  land- 
ward view  takes  in  Torres  Vedras,  where,  during  the 
Peninsular  War,  Wellington  forced  the  beginning  of 
the  end  of  Napoleon's  career;  from  its  towers  the 
old  King,  Dom  Manuel,  daily  looked  seaward  for 
many  months,  in  1497,  for  the  return  from  India  of 
his  great  captain  Vasco  da  Gama.  Like  the  tall 
lighthouses  against  which  the  flying  birds  strike  in 
the  dark,  it  is  a  cloud-piercing  structure  against 
which  angels  would  scrape  their  wings  unless  they 
carried  lanterns.  The  views  from  the  highest  moun- 
tain summits  are  incomparable  with  this,  because 
here  are  tmited  the  grandest  views  of  ocean  and 
land. 

On  our  return  to  Lisbon  we  assumed  our  uniforms 
and  went  to  the  palace  to  dine.  After  the  formal 
reception  we  were  taken  through  its  halls,  adorned 
with  pictures  and  statuary,  until  dinner  was  pro- 
claimed by  a  herald.  The  King  of  Hawaii  was 
seated  upon  the  right  of  the  Queen,  while  Dom  Luis 


The  King  of  Portugal  (1881), 


WITH    A    KING  269 

was  seated  at  the  middle  of  the  opposite  side  of  the 
table,  and  I  was  placed  on  his  right  with  our  own 
suite ;  other  guests,  numbering  thirty,  were  arranged 
according  to  their  rank.  As  the  Queen  did  not  speak 
English,  the  flashes  of  royal  silence  were  prolonged, 
being  broken  only  by  occasional  interpretations  by 
Dom  Luis.  On  my  right  was  one  of  the  Queen's 
ladies  of  honour,  who  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Vasco  da  Gama.  She  spoke  English  fluently.  She 
asked  who  was  the  discoverer  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands.  I  replied,  an  Englishman,  Captain  Cook, 
who  had  been  killed  by  the  people  he  had  discovered. 
She  said  that  it  was  indeed  fortunate  that  her  illus- 
trious ancestor  had  passed  around  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  India,  instead  of  taking  the  passage  around 
Cape  Horn;  for  if  he  had  taken  the  Western  course 
he  might  have  anticipated  Captain  Cook  and  been 
killed  by  the  King's  predecessor. 

The  ceiling  of  the  banquet-chamber  was  superbly 
frescoed,  and  its  walls  were  tinted  in  soft  ashes-of- 
rose  colouring ;  great  glass  chandeliers,  with  myriads 
of  candles,  lit  up  the  flowers;  and  the  table  service 
was  of  gold  and  silver. 

The  Kings  now  toasted  the  Queen  and  each  other. 
The  band  on  the  balcony  played  the  native  hymns  of 
Portugal  and  Hawaii.  We  then  sat  for  a  short  time 
in  the  balcony,  from  which  we  looked  down  on  the 
Tagus,  where  so  many  fleets  have  ridden  at  anchor 
in  many  wars. 

We  left  with  the  usual  escort  of  honour.  It  was 
the  last  of  the  royal  banquets  which  we  attended 
during  our  tour. 

Dom  Luis  had  requested  the  King  to  attend  a 
bull-fight  on  Sunday,  the  next  day;    he  placed  the 


270      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

royal  box  at  the  King's  pleasure.     Unlike  the  cruel 
fights  which  the  Spanish  people  delight  in,  the  one 
we  attended  was  a  respectable  affair.    It  opened  with 
six  cavalleiros  on  noble  horses  with  rich  trappings 
riding  around  the  arena.     At  a  point  opposite  the 
royal  box  and  on  the  farther  side  of  the  arena,  they 
formed  in  line  and  moved  slowly  with  majestic  steps 
to  the  royal  box,  where  the  riders  saluted ;   then,  in- 
stead of  turning,  they  backed  slowly  and  in  straight 
alignment  to  the  point  from  which  they  started.    The 
bull-fighters,  the  bandarilha,  in  rich,  close-fitting  cos- 
tumes and  cloaks,  then  approached  the  royal  box, 
saluted  and  retired,  backing  across  the  arena.  Two 
horsemen  entered  the  ring;   a  door  was  opened,  and 
a  bull  with  long  horns  galloped  into  the  arena,  stood 
bewildered  for  a  moment,  and  then  charged  on  a  red 
flag.     These  fights  are  described  in  detail  in  tourists' 
books,  and  a  description  will  not  be  repeated  here. 
The  fine  horses  were  too  valuable  to  be  slaughtered ; 
they  engaged  in  no  serious  business,  but  with  much 
intelligence  kept  out  of  the  bull's  way;    they  added 
to  the  fascination  of  the  scene.     Nor  are  the  bulls 
butchered.     When  they  are  tired  or  cease  to  show 
pluck,   the   audience  clamours,    and   they   are   with- 
drawn.    Thirteen  bulls  entered  the  arena,  but  some 
of  them  were  without  hatred  or  malice  toward  man- 
kind,  and   refused  combat.     These   Quaker  beasts, 
preferring  grass  to  glory,  stolidly  looked  around  the 
vast  amphitheatre  and  seemed  to  say :  "  It  takes  two 
to  make  a  fight." 

Aside  from  the  wounds  made  by  the  barbed  darts, 
which  are  not  serious,  the  bulls  are  not  injured. 
Many  of  them,  which  show  spirit,  are,  after  an  in- 
terval of  some  weeks,  brought  into  the  arena  again. 


WITH    A    KING  271 

But  even  these  lose  their  spirit,  or  take  a  reasonable 
view  of  the  situation,  and  seem  to  say,  "  What  is 
there  in  this  for  us?"  The  excitement  of  a  Portu- 
guese bull-fight,  which  is  somewhat  regulated  by  a 
Humane  Society,  does  not  lie  in  the  cruelty  to  the 
beasts,  as  it  does  in  Spain,  but  in  the  fascinating 
gymnastics  of  the  fighters  and  the  dangerous  risks 
they  invite.  They  fence  with  opponents  who  have 
horns  instead  of  rapiers,  and  are  not  governed  by 
any  rules  of  the  duelling  code.  The  advantage  of 
the  fighter  is  that  he  moves  with  much  greater  rapid- 
ity than  the  bull  and  makes  an  unerring  calculation 
of  the  value  of  space.  Three  inches  serves  him  as 
well  as  a  hundred  feet  in  avoiding  the  touch  of  a 
horn. 

At  the  close  of  the  exhibition  the  cavalleiros  and 
bandarilha  approached  the  royal  box,  bowed  to 
the  King,  and  retired;  the  chief  and  most  popular 
of  them  soon  appearing  at  the  hotel  for  a  kingly 
remembrance  in  gold. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  the  palace  to  bid  good- 
bye to  our  royal  hosts.  The  Queen  placed  flowers 
on  his  Hawaiian  Majesty's  coat  and  handed  bouquets 
to  the  suite.  When  we  had  reached  the  door  of  the 
royal  carriage,  the  two  monarchs  stood  for  a  moment 
facing  each  other;  the  Portuguese  King  gave  his 
Royal  Brother  an  embrace,  but  his  head  hardly 
reached  the  shoulder  of  the  Hawaiian  sovereign, 
and  his  arms  were  clasped  about  his  thighs;  Kala- 
kaua,  towering  above  him,  and  unable  to  embrace 
him,  patted  his  back. 

In  order  to  initiate  a  treaty  between  the  two  coun- 
tries which  would  regulate  the  emigration  of  Portu- 
guese to  Hawaii,  I  remained  in  Lisbon  for  several 


272      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

days.  The  King,  with  the  remainder  of  his  suite, 
returned  to  Madrid  for  two  days,  from  which  place 
they  travelled  continually  through  France  and  Eng- 
land to  Scotland,  and  from  that  country  left  for 
Liverpool  and  embarked  for  New  York. 

On  completing  the  general  form  of  a  treaty  be- 
tween Hawaii  and  Portugal,  I  left  for  Paris,  London, 
and  Liverpool,  and  arrived  in  New  York  in  advance 
of  the  King  and  waited  for  him. 

As  Robert,  the  Count  von  O ,  was  more  or 

less  prominent  in  our  tour  through  the  Orient,  this 
memoir  would  not  be  complete  without  including 
some  record  of  his  services  in  Europe. 

After  reaching  Italy  the  King  quickly  saw  that 
any  parade  of  the  royal  feather  cloak  would  be  a 
grotesque  affair ;  it  would  be  ridiculous  even  to  float 
the  royal  standard.  Robert  was  virtually  deposed 
from  his  office  and  left  to  the  discharge  of  his  exhila- 
rating menial  duties.  He  also  abandoned  with  in- 
dignation his  secret  office  of  historian  or  biographer, 
because  the  person  who  had  secured  for  him  this 
office,  and  had  promised  him  remuneration,  had  evi- 
dently not  put  a  high  financial  value  on  the  literary 
work  which  he  had  furnished,  and  had  made  him  no 
remittance.  As  the  King  treated  Robert  as  valet  or 
friend,  as  his  moods  changed,  it  was  not  easy  for 
me  to  treat  him  as  a  servant,  and  I  listened  occasion- 
ally to  his  grievances.  He  bitterly  criticised  the  King 
and  his  Chamberlain  for  not  recognising  his  own 
superior  education,  for  he  said  to  me,  "  Your  Excel- 
lency, you  and  I  are  the  only  educated  men  in  this 
party."  I  replied  to  this  discrimination,  "  It  is  not 
education  which  is  at  issue,  but  your  extraordinarv 
capacity  for  getting  drunk  at  the  wrong  time."     He 


The  Queen  of  Portugal  (1881). 


WITH    A    KING  273 

continued  to  serve  the  King-  during  the  rest  of  the 
tour,  in  his  own  irresponsible  way,  receiving  at  times, 
when  the  demand  for  decorations  was  pressing,  some 
considerations  from  the  hungry  apphcants  for  the 
privilege  of  seeing  the  King, 


i8 


274      AROUND    THE    WORLD 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Washington  —  On  the  Cobble- 
stones of  Democracy  —  The  King  Presented  to  President 
Arthur  —  Fortress  Monroe  and  Hampton  Normal  School 
—  The  King  Buys  Horses  in  Kentucky  —  Banquet  in  San 
Francisco  —  Sailing  for  Home  —  Casting  Up  Accounts  — 
What  Wisdom  Has  His  Majesty  "  Sucked  "  — He  Agrees 
with  Learned  Men — Reception  at  Honolulu  —  The  Girdle 
Around  the  Earth  Is  Clasped. 

AS  the  King  had  visited  New  York  six  years 
before  this  time  and  had  been  the  guest  of  the 
city,  we  did  not  remain  there,  for  it  was  now  the 
month  of  August,  but  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
Washington.  At  the  railway  station  in  Philadelphia, 
where  we  remained  one  day,  there  was  an  incident 
which  illustrated  the  democratic  ideas  of  the  hack- 
men.  The  "  boss  "  of  the  carriage-stand  was  asked 
to  provide  a  vehicle  for  the  King.  As  it  drove  up, 
the  "  boss,"  smoking  a  cigar,  shouted  to  the  driver, 
"Here,  Jim,  here's  your  load!"  Nor  did  we  find 
in  any  place  a  willingness  to  use  the  term,  "  Your 
Majesty;"  the  use  of  it  seemed  to  be  an  approval 
of  effete  civilisation.  Nor  were  there  offered  the 
carpeted  walks  which  elsewhere  protect  the  royal  feet 
from  dirt;  we  were  on  the  plain  cobble-stones  of 
democracy. 

In  Washington  the  King  was  received  by  Mr.  R.  B. 
Hill,  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  by  whom  he 
was  presented  to  President  Arthur,  who  by  the  death 
of  General  Garfield  had  become  President.  I  had 
known  Mr.  Arthur  for  many  years  in  the  city  of 


WITH    A    KING  275 

New  York  while  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law.  By  the  "  conjunction  of  the  stars "  he  was 
President  of  the  Great  Republic;  the  quiet  citizen 
whom  for  many  years  I  had  seen  quietly  strolling 
up  Broadway  had  suddenly  become  the  equal  of 
monarchs;  and  he  smiled  as  he  saw  me  in  this  new 
and  strange  relation.  Both  President  and  King  were 
alike  in  physical  structure  and  weight;  moreover 
there  was  some  resemblance  in  their  facial  lines  and 
deportment.  If  the  President  had  been  a  dark  or  a 
black  man,  the  resemblance  would  have  been  a  singu- 
lar one. 

Through  the  kind  services  of  Mr.  Hill  the  govern- 
ment placed  a  despatch  boat  at  the  King's  service, 
and  he  visited  Fortress  Monroe,  and  the  Hampton 
Normal  and  Agricultural  School,  of  which  his  old 
friend.  General  Armstrong,  was  Principal. 

In  the  course  of  our  journey  across  the  continent 
we  visited  some  of  the  Kentucky  farms  where  fine 
horses  are  bred,  and  the  King  purchased  some  excel- 
lent animals. 

When  we  reached  San  Francisco  his  Majesty  was 
again  entertained  at  a  large  banquet.  But  he  was 
now  above  democratic  simplicity;  he  missed,  per- 
haps, the  companionship  of  monarchs,  the  perfumed 
air  of  royal  courts,  the  spontaneous  reverence  which 
crowned  heads  command.  He  attracted  respectful 
attention  in  the  United  States,  but  he  did  see, 
though  dimly,  that  he  only  amused  the  American 
populace  and  excited  their  curiosity.  One  of  the 
papers  stated  that  "  while  he  was  a  good  fellow,  his 
throne  was  only  a  relic  of  barbarism,"  and  others 
likened  his  court  to  the  royal  families  in  opera 
bouffe. 


276      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

We  steamed  down  toward  the  Southern  Cross. 
The  pomp  and  circumstance  of  the  world  were  behind 
us.  In  our  debit  and  credit  account  with  these  we 
had  much  to  the  good ;  we  had  taken  much  and  given 
little;  our  assets  in  a  little  kingdom  which  appeared, 
comparatively,  like  a  few  bullets  rising  out  of  the 
vast  expanse  of  the  Pacific,  had  been  turned  over 
repeatedly  and  profitably. 

As  we  ran  down  the  latitude  and  entered  the  trade- 
wind  belt  I  once  more  and  finally  made  an  effort  to 
find  what  knowledge  or  wisdom  my  royal  master  had 
"  sucked  "  out  of  these  travels  in  many  lands.  I  asked 
him  what  benefit  he  took  back  to  his  people,  to  whom 
he  had  promised  much.  He  replied  that  his  subjects 
were  already  better  off  than  the  majority  of  the 
people  in  the  many  lands  we  had  visited;  they  had 
enough  to  eat  and  wear,  and  they  were  certainly 
happier  than  any  people  he  had  seen ;  they  were  never 
in  debt,  because  no  one  trusted  them;  their  kulianas 
(little  homesteads)  brought  them  a  living;  they  en- 
joyed music  and  out-of-door  life;  he  did  not  believe 
that  one  of  his  subjects  ever  went  to  bed  hungry; 
no  one  robbed  them;  they  had  no  dyspepsia,  which, 
he  said,  was  common  in  America.     I  said : 

*'  Your  people  are  dying  out  and  will  soon  be 
extinct." 

"  Well,  if  they  are,"  he  replied,  "  I  've  read  lots 
of  times  that  great  races  died  out,  and  new  ones  took 
their  places ;  my  people  are  like  the  rest.  I  think  the 
best  way  is  to  let  us  be.  What  good  do  you  think 
the  Europeans  and  Americans  have  done  them,  Mr. 
Minister?  Captain  Cook,  and  the  fellows  who  came 
after  him  from  New  England,  filled  my  people  with 
disease  and  leprosy,  and,  besides,  they  forced  rum  on 


WITH    A    KING  277 

us.  Where  one  missionary  did  good,  there  were  five 
hundred  of  his  countrymen  who  debauched  our 
women,  filled  them  with  disease,  and  sold  liquor  to 
the  people.  The  missionaries  told  our  people  to  keep 
Sunday  and  stop  dancing,  but  the  countrymen  of  the 
missionaries  called  them  blasted  fools  and  told  us  not 
to  mind  them."  His  Majesty  admitted  that  the  mis- 
sionaries were  always  honest,  and  were  the  best 
friends  of  the  people,  and  did  them  good  by  establish- 
ing schools  and  churches.  He  read  Herbert  Spencer's 
works  in  a  desultory  way,  and  thought  he  knew  more 
about  the  world  than  the  missionaries  did.  So  his 
conclusion  was  that  he  had  seen  nothing  which  his 
people  needed  but  some  well-bred  horses  and  cattle. 

When,  on  my  part,  I  examined  what  I  had  sucked 
out  of  this  tour,  I  realised  the  vast  conceit  of  the 
nations  and  their  humiliating  ignorance  of  each 
other's  capacity,  virtues,  and  character.  This  igno- 
rance was  lamentable,  for  it  was  astonishing.  The 
Englishmen  despised  all  other  nations,  not  excepting 
the  Germans  and  French.  The  French  looked  with 
contempt  on  the  English,  Germans,  and  Americans. 
The  literature  of  each  nation  was  filled  with  untrue 
and  unjust  comments  upon  the  character  of  every 
other.  And  all  the  nations  of  Christendom  were 
agreed  that  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  East  Indians 
were  "  pagans,"  without  noble  traits,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  creeds  of  Christendom,  were  incapable  of 
moral  and  intellectual  progress,  though  they  included 
more  than  two  thirds  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

And  yet  there  were  a  few  able  and  broad-minded 
men  who  spoke  with  freedom  and  observation.  I  had 
noted  some  of  their  opinions,  and  I  cite  them,  because 
they  singularly  resemble  in  many  respects  those  of 


278      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

this  Polynesian  chief,  though  there  was  a  wide  gulf 
which  divided  their  racial  instincts  and  inherited  tra- 
ditions. In  the  closing  chapter  of  "  The  Malay  Ar- 
chipelago," written  by  Professor  A.  R.  Wallace,  the 
contemporary  and  rival  of  Darwin,  who  for  eight 
years  had  studied  the  Asiatic  races  in  their  native 
land,  not  in  the  interests  of  trade  or  religion,  but  in 
that  of  science  only,  are  these  words : 

"  The  mass  of  our  people  [the  English]  have  not  at 
all  advanced  beyond  the  savage  code  of  morals,  and  have 
in  many  instances  sunk  below  it ;  compared  with  our 
wondrous  progress  in  physical  science  and  its  practical 
application,  our  system  of  government,  of  administering 
justice,  of  national  education,  and  our  whole  social  and 
moral  organisation  remain  in  a  state  of  barbarism.  Our 
gigantic  commerce  creates  an  army  who  in  this  respect 
are  worse  off  than  the  savage  in  the  midst  of  his  tribe. 
Until  there  is  a  more  general  recognition  of  this  failure 
of  our  civilisation,  we  shall  never,  as  regards  the  whole 
community,  attain  any  real  important  superiority  over 
the  better  class  of  savages :  this  is  the  lesson  I  have  been 
taught  by  my  observations  of  uncivilised  man." 

"General"  William  Booth  wrote: 

"  More  minute,  patient,  intelligent  observation  has 
been  devoted  to  the  study  of  earthworms  [in  England] 
than  to  the  evolution  or  rather  the  degradation  of  the 
sunken  section  of  our  people,"  — 

of  whom,  he  said,  three  millions,  equal  in  number  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Scotland,  are  in  a  state  of  abject 
destitution  and  misery. 

As  I  review  these  notes  of  travel  I  may  add  what 
our  genial  friend  Lord  Charles  Beresford  has  recently 
written : 


WITH    A    KING  279 

"  British  society  has  been  eaten  into  by  the  canker  of 
money.  From  the  top  downward  the  tree  is  rotten. 
The  most  immoral  pass  before  the  pubHc  as  the  most 
philanthropic  and  as  doers  of  all  good  works.  Beauty 
is  the  slave  of  gold.  Our  intellect,  led  by  beauty,  un- 
knowingly dances  to  the  strings  which  are  pulled  by 
Plutocracy." 

Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  in  his  "  Tour  x^round  the 
World,"  which  anticipated  ours  by  two  years,  wrote : 

"  The  traveller  will  not  see  in  all  his  wanderings  so 
much  abject,  repulsive  misery  among  human  beings  in 
the  most  heathen  lands  as  that  which  startles  him  in 
his  Christian  home." 

Emerson  puts  the  knife  into  our  boastings  and 
forces  us  to  humiliation  in  these  words : 

"  We  think  our  civilisation  near  its  meridian ;  but 
we  are  yet  only  at  the  cock-crowing  and  the  morning 
star." 

So  "  pagan "  King,  scientist,  philanthropist,  rich 
traveller,  and  philosopher  seemed  to  have  "  sucked  " 
the  same  conclusions  from  wide  observation;  the 
King  only  was  without  that  abiding  faith  in  the 
evolution  of  right  which  will  end  in  the  final 
establishment  of  universal  contentment  and  happi- 
ness. The  King  saw  only  the  bald  fact ;  he  could  not 
see  the  final  reign  of  law  behind  it. 

My  relations  to  the  King,  as  a  Hawaiian-born  sub- 
ject but  an  American  by  inheritance,  put  me  under  an 
obligation  to  him  like  that  of  the  apprentice  in  the 
"  Pirates  of  Penzance  "  who  was  bound  until  noon 
every  day  to  an  absolute  loyalty  to  his  piratical  mas- 
ters, but  after  that  hour  and  until  night  was  entirely 


280      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

free  to  circumvent  and  destroy  them.  As  a  Hawaiian 
Minister  of  State  I  was  bound,  for  at  least  part  of 
the  time,  to  observe  loyalty  to  the  King  and  to  Poly- 
nesian institutions,  however  primitive  they  were ;  for 
the  monarchy  and  people  were  rather  more  pagan 
than  civilised.  In  this  regard  I  was  under  some  obli- 
gation to  take  a  hopeful  view  of  the  future  of  the 
race  and  to  magnify  its  racial  progress.  But  when 
relieved,  like  the  pirate's  apprentice,  of  the  obliga- 
tions of  loyalty  by  my  American  inheritance,  I  was 
free  in  some  degree  to  suggest  and  predict  the  swiftly 
coming  end  of  Polynesian  rule  in  the  Islands,  the 
causes  for  which  were  numerous  and  adequate. 
These  views  I  freely  expressed  before  the  King. 

As  we  neared  our  little  kingdom  in  the  early  dawn, 
the  vast  volcanic  mountain  of  Haleakala  ("House 
of  the  Sun  ")  loomed  up  on  the  left.  Like  the  devout 
Hindus,  who  shouted  "  Ganga!  Ganga!  "  when  they 
saw  the  turbid  waters  of  the  Ganges  as  they  ap- 
proached Calcutta,  we  shouted,  "  It  is  home !  It  is 
Hawaii  nei!  " 

The  harbour  of  Honolulu  was  soon  in  sight. 
Arches  wreathed  in  flowers  spanned  the  streets;  the 
"  army  "  paraded,  the  natives  wailed  a  childish  wel- 
come to  their  King  and  covered  him  with  flowers. 
The  royal  band  played  "  Home,  Sweet  Home !  "  the 
royal  palms  bowed  their  "  Aloha ;  "  the  cocoanut-trees 
flung  their  yellow  jewels  from  their  tall  tufts;  the 
breakers  pounded  out  their  loyalty.  The  little  mili- 
tary skeleton  which  had  gently  rattled  around  the 
world  was  sealed  up  for  ever  in  its  vault.  At  the 
Palace,  which  was  an  humble  place,  though  it  was 
soon  replaced  by  an  imposing  building,  the  people 
massed,  and  again  buried  their  King  in  a  wilderness 


William  N.  Armstrong,  after  a  Dinner  given  by  King  Kalalcaua. 


WITH    A    KING  281 

of  flowers  and  scented  vines.  One  who  assumed  to 
be  the  poet  laureate  dehvered  a  inele,  or  ode,  which 
the  outspoken  and  vicious  opposition  Press  said  was 
only  a  part  of  "  the  elaborate  bestialities  of  a  decrepit 
paganism." 

MELES,    OR   SONGS.i 

KING   KALAKAUA'S   TOUR    AROUND   THE   WORLD. 

(No.    I.) 

Arise  !     O  Hawaii  of  Keawe ! 

Here  is  thy  Chief  of  Chiefs  ! 

Thy  bud  ;  thy  blossom  ;  and  thy  flower, 

Thy  chief  indeed ;  O,  Maui  of  Kama  ! 

The  blooming  flower  of  Kakae, 

The  sacred  choice  of  the  Heavens  ! 

Advance,  ye  shores  of  Piilani 

(Shores  of  Lanai  and  Kahoolawe.) 

Thou  also,  O  !  Molokai  of  Hina  ! 

Oahu  stands  forth  in  the  lead. 

The  loved  land  of  Kakuihewa  ! 

The  chosen  seat  doth  greet  thee  ! 

Flags  wave  gently  in  the  breeze, 

Cannons  blare  forth  their  roar ; 

And  the  entrance  of  Mamala  re-echoes 

Voices  of  song,  and  loud  hurrahs  ; 

Voices  of  joyous  Welcome  Home  ! 

It  was  the  journey  of  a  great  free  Chief, 

Who  glanced  at  all  things. 

He  stood  on  the  highest  of  the  heights  ; 

And  reached  the  four  remote  corners. 

Come  up,  O  Kauai  of  Mano  ! 

With  thy  sun  shining  on  Lehua 

Let  all  bless  and  honour 

Every  one  ;  O,  ye  People  ! 

Join  with  the  heavenly  hosts  ; 

Who  have  joined  with  us  ; 

With  our  Sovereign  Lord  and  King, 

1  Translation. 


282      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Hawaii's  wreathed  royal  Diadem. 

Long  live  Ka  Lani  (The  King)  the  Chosen  One ! 

Until  the  heights  of  the  heavens  are  reached. 

(No.  2.) 

To  Thee,  O  Sun,  that  shineth  brightly, 

O'er  all  the  skirts  of  the  globe, 

Make  known  his  royal  worth, 

Thy  light  shall  reveal  his  glory, 

He  sought  his  wish  with  wisdom, 

And  beheld  the  hidden  things  of  the  world. 

He  witnessed  the  beauty  of  Himala,  (Asia,) 

The  joyous  rippling  waters  bore  him  on ; 

He  beheld  the  mountain  of  great  fragrance,  (Fusiyama,) 

Famed  for  its  splendour  and  towering  crest, 

And  thou,  O  Ka  Lani,  set  high  above, 

Thou  didst  o'erpass  the  tabus  of  Tahiti,  (of  all  foreign  Lands.) 

Uprose  the  angry  sea, 

And  smoothed  its  wild  flow  for  thee ! 

Reach  forth  to  all  the  isles  of  the  sea  !  (the  Pacific.) 

To  be  thy  companions  O  Ka  Lani ! 

Whilst  thou  journeyest,  O  King  ! 

The  spirit  of  Heaven  was  thy  helper, 

The  morning  star  was  thy  guide. 

Thy  enemies  fled  before  thee  — 

They  speaking  vainly  against  thee  ! 

Long  live  Ka  Lani, 

To  the  farthest  reach  of  the  advancing  world  ! 

As  we  entered  the  Palace,  from  which  we  had 
departed  ten  months  before,  one  might  have  heard 
the  sharp  chck  of  the  clasp  which  closed  the  girdle 
that,  for  the  first  time  since  the  beginning  of  things, 
had  been  put  around  the  earth  by  a  ruling  sovereign. 


WITH    A    KING  283 


CHAPTER  XXX 

The  End  of  the  Monarchy  —  The  King  and  His  Divine 
Origin  and  Mission  —  Insists  on  Coronation  —  Ministers 
Resign  —  The  King  Resists  Parliamentary  Government  — 
Confronted  with  the  Bayonet  and  Yields  —  He  Instigates 
Revolution,  but  Fails  —  Visits  California  and  Dies  —  Liliuo- 
kalani  His  Successor  —  She  Attempts  to  Make  a  New 
Constitution,  and  the  Monarchy  Is  Overthrown  —  Annexa- 
tion to  the  United  States  —  The  Work  of  the  Missionaries. 

THESE  memoirs  would  not  be  complete  without 
a  brief  account  of  the  effect  of  this  royal  tour 
upon  the  King's  reign;  for  some  reader  may  ask 
what  became  of  this  daring  monarch  who  put  a  girdle 
around  the  earth? 

There  were  a  hundred  causes  which  contributed 
to  destroy  his  monarchy,  the  most  of  which  were 
beyond  his  control,  and  there  was,  it  may  be  said  in 
truth,  not  one  to  preserve  it.  Its  extinction,  twelve 
years  after  his  return,  was  due  to  the  cold  and  inex- 
orable law  of  political  evolution,  which  even  now  is 
hardly  understood.  There  was  a  conflict  of  races, 
the  stronger  Teutonic  races  against  the  weaker  Poly- 
nesian. Although  it  was  aggressive  and  made  acutely 
so  by  the  geographical  situation  of  the  islands  at  the 
crossways  of  the  Pacific  commerce,  it  was  peaceful 
and  bloodless ;  for  of  all  weak  races  which  have  come 
in  contact  in  any  land  whatsoever  with  the  stronger 
races,  the  Hawaiians  have  suffered  the  least  from  in- 
justice and  physical  dominance.     On  the  other  hand, 


284      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

they  have  been  cared  for  and  coddled  by  the  whites 
to  an  unwholesome  extent.  The  new  conditions  of 
commerce  and  industry  created  by  the  Anglo-Saxons 
overshadowed  the  Polynesians  and  caused  their  decay, 
as  the  growth  of  forest  trees  takes  sunlight  away 
from  plants  and  grasses  and  withers  them. 

The  King  did  not  understand  this  law  of  evolu- 
tion. He  was  like  the  majority  of  monarchs  who 
have  lost  their  thrones,  or  gone  into  exile,  or  been 
despatched  by  assassins.  He  did  not  see  that  his 
monarchy  was  indulgently  tolerated  by  the  Anglo- 
Saxons  so  long  as  it  did  not  put  in  jeopardy  their 
rigid  ideas  regarding  the  rights  of  persons  and  prop- 
erty and  the  administration  of  law. 

Soon  after  his  return  the  King  began  to  do  those 
things  which  would,  in  his  opinion,  strengthen  his 
throne.  As  his  native  subjects  were  in  a  very  great 
majority,  he  believed  that  if  he  increased  their  loy- 
alty to  himself  he  would  be  able  to  check  the  influ- 
ence of  the  whites,  whose  resources  and  character  he 
could  not  clearly  comprehend.  Beneath  this,  how- 
ever, was  the  racial  instinct  that  unconsciously  sus- 
pected the  whites. 

He  at  once  determined  to  have  a  coronation,  though 
he  had  been  on  the  throne  for  six  years.  Finding 
that  the  members  of  his  Cabinet,  who  were  white 
men,  did  not  approve  of  such  a  useless  and  very 
expensive  proceeding,  he  secretly  went  behind  them 
to  his  native  legislature  and  asked  for  $75,000  for 
a  coronation.  When  I  discovered  this  defiance  of 
Ministerial  rule  I  peremptorily  resigned  my  office  in 
the  Cabinet,  and  the  rest  of  my  colleagues  followed 
me. 

Thereupon  the  King  appointed  as  his  new  Prime 


WITH    A    KING  285 

Minister  an  educated  American  named  Gibson,  who 
had  been  an  adventurer  in  Sumatra,  where  he  had 
been  imprisoned  by  the  Dutch  government  for  sedi- 
tion; he  had  also  been  a  Mormon,  He  was  a 
brilHant  writer,  and  was  full  of  political  dreams 
regarding  his  own  mission  in  Polynesia.  He  had 
encouraged  the  King  to  look  upon  himself  as  the 
Colossus  of  the  Pacific,  the  one  who  would  unite 
the  half-savage  tribes  scattered  through  Oceanica 
into  some  federal  union,  of  which  he  would  be 
Primate. 

The  coronation  now  took  place,  for  his  new  Min- 
isters approved  of  it  and  the  legislature  provided  the 
money.  Its  forms  and  ceremonies  were  composed 
out  of  what  could  be  found  in  European  books  which 
described  such  events,  mixed  with  Polynesian  cus- 
toms. It  took  place  in  a  large  pavilion.  There  were 
Bearers  of  the  King's  Jewels  and  Decorations.;  of 
the  Sword  of  State,  and  the  Crown,  which  was  im- 
ported from  England ;  Bearers  of  the  Robes  and  the 
Torch ;  of  the  Royal  Mantle,  similar  to  the  one  which 
had  such  an  eventful  history  during  the  tour,  but  of 
larger  dimensions.  The  King  appeared  in  a  white 
helmet,  and  the  Queen,  an  excellent  woman,  wore  a 
diadem  studded  with  diamonds,  and  a  long  train 
supported  by  the  native  ladies  of  her  household.  The 
Princes  of  the  Blood  were  in  glittering  uniforms. 
The  King  crowned  himself  and  again  took  the  oath 
of  office.  The  hard-headed  white  men  looked  on  and 
smiled  at  this  grotesque  pageantry  of  whitewashed 
paganism.  The  natives  enjoyed  it,  especially  that 
part  of  it  which  gave  them  continual  feasting  and 
abundance  of  spirits. 

In   addition  to  this   the   King  began   secretly   to 


286      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

instruct  many  of  the  natives  in  the  dogma  of  his 
own  divine  origin,  as  a  means  of  increasing  their 
loyalty  to  him,  and  he  renewed  some  of  the  ancient 
vile  and  licentious  practices  of  the  savage  times. 

Soon  after  I  resigned  from  office  I  left  the  country, 
and  did  not  again  see  the  King  during  his  lifetime. 
We  held  correspondence  with  each  other,  however, 
from  time  to  time.  On  leaving  him  I  once  more 
advised  him  to  act  with  great  caution  in  dealing  with 
the  white  men.  I  told  him  that  I  feared  his  conduct 
in  choosing  an  irresponsible  Minister  would  precipi- 
tate a  revolution,  and  I  predicted  that  it  would  come 
within  three  years.  He  replied  that  he  could  "  take 
care  of  "  any  of  his  white  subjects.  The  revolution 
came,  however,  within  five  years. 

He  had  now  to  reckon  with  the  "  missionaries." 
The  American  missionaries  were  a  body  of  men, 
mostly  of  New  England  origin,  who  landed  in  the 
islands  in  1820  and  gradually  increased  their  num- 
bers by  immigration  until  there  were  about  sixty  of 
them.  The  majority  were  clergymen  and  college- 
bred  men,  and  some  of  them  were  unusually  able 
and  wise.  They  were  the  Romanticists  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  inspired  with  an  intense  desire  to 
save  the  heathen  from  everlasting  torments.  They 
accepted  the  dogma  of  the  churches  that  the  heathen, 
though  ignorant  of  the  Gospel,  were  doomed  eternally 
unless  they  repented.  They  did  not  claim  to  be  agents 
of  civilisation  directly,  but  promoted  such  forms  of 
civilised  life  as  aided  them  in  propagating  the  Gospel. 
For  this  purpose  they  established  schools,  reduced  the 
savage  language  to  writing,  and,  under  their  large 
influence  with  the  chiefs,  gradually  established  whole- 
some laws,  abolished  the  feudal  system,  and  intro- 


WITH    A    KING  287 

duced  the  American  system  of  jurisprudence  so  far 
as  it  was  practicable.  Their  main  purpose  was  not 
the  estabHshment  of  an  American  colony,  but  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen.  Forty-five  years  later 
they  believed  that  their  mission  was  fulfilled,  and 
they  voluntarily  ceased  to  be  an  organised  body. 
The  children  of  these  missionaries,  numbering  some 
hundreds,  born  in  the  islands,  became  to  a  large 
extent  permanent  residents,  professional  men,  mer- 
chants, and  planters;  they  furnished  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  college-bred  men  than  any  community  of 
the  same  number  in  America.^  With  them  were  asso- 
ciated by  marriage,  business  interests,  and  religious 
sympathy,  a  number  of  Anglo-Saxon  immigrants 
from  the  mainland.  Those  who  affiliated  with  the 
natives  by  marriage,  those  who  found  law  and  order 
irksome,  those  who  disliked  conservative  rule,  op- 
posed the  "  missionaries,"  as  they  designated  this 
class  of  persons,  though  the  original  missionaries 
no  longer  lived.  The  name  stood  for  a  political 
class. 

The  "  missionaries "  born  in  the  islands  had  a 
strong  affection  for  the  monarchy  in  spite  of  its 
grotesque  Polynesian  ear-marks.  But  when  the 
King,  with  the  assent  of  his  Prime  Minister,  re- 
fused to  be  governed  by  the  legislature,  insisted  on 
personal  rule,  and  became  involved  in  some  discred- 
itable affairs,  they  arose  promptly  and  confronted 
the  King  with  the  bayonet.  He  instantly  yielded  to 
their  demands  and  proclaimed  a  new  Constitution, 
which  made  his  government  Ministerial  and  subject 

1  (As  originally  written)  a  larger  proportion  were  graduates  of 
American  colleges  than  of  any  communities  of  like  size  in  the  United 
States. 


288      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

to  the  legislature,  as  it  is  in  England.  But  he  was 
indignant  at  this  coercion,  and  within  two  years 
secretly  contrived  a  popular  revolution,  under  the 
leadership  of  one  of  the  young  natives  who  had 
been  educated  in  the  military  schools  of  Italy;  the 
object  of  this  revolution  being  to  restore  the  old 
Constitution,  with  its  strong  royal  prerogatives  and 
personal  rule.  The  "  missionaries  "  again  rose,  put 
down  this  revolution  with  their  arms,  and,  with  per- 
haps unwise  conservatism,  permitted  the  King  to 
hold  the  throne. 

Within  two  years  of  this  event,  the  King  again 
visited  the  State  of  California,  where  he  died  of 
pneumonia,  and  his  sister,  the  Princess  Liliuokalani, 
took  his  place  on  the  throne. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  the  character  of  King 
Kalakaua.  It  is  largely  revealed  in  the  incidents 
of  his  tour  around  the  world.  It  was  his  misfor- 
tune to  have  been  a  Polynesian  who  with  sufficient 
excuse  failed  to  understand  the  character  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon.  He  was  as  wise  as  the  majority  of 
men  who  have  been  rulers,  but  in  thought,  inheri- 
tance, and  instinct  he  was  an  alien  to  his  white 
subjects. 

His  sister,  who  now  succeeded  him,  had  all  his 
defects  of  character,  and,  in  addition  to  them,  a  blind 
stubbornness  of  will  which  he  did  not  have.  She 
had  sworn  to  support  the  Constitution,  but  soon  en- 
gaged in  a  conspiracy  to  overthrow  it  and  establish 
one  which  increased  her  personal  prerogatives.  The 
*'  missionaries  "  again  rose  in  arms.  They  were  tired 
of  irresponsible  Polynesian  rule.  They  were  no 
longer  willing  to  exact  new  promises  from  the  Queen 
and  preserve  the  monarchy.     They  abolished  it,  or- 


WITH    A    KING  289 

ganised  a  republic,  and  co-operated  in  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  islands  to  the  United  States. 

There  are  now  those  living  who  have  seen  the 
little  kingdom  rise  out  of  savagery  and  paganism, 
culminate  in  Kalakaua's  reign,  and  become  extinct 
within  one  generation.  The  naturalists  say  that  the 
mosquito  is  born,  becomes  a  father  and  grandfather, 
and  dies,  within  a  day.  Such  also  was  the  brief  life 
of  this  monarchy  when  measured  by  the  average 
standards  of  national  life.  But  it  will  nevertheless 
stand  in  history  as  the  solitary  community,  of  that 
boundless  region  of  Oceanica,  that  presented  all  the 
functions  of  a  complete  government,  and  was  in  good 
and  regular  standing  with  the  family  of  nations. 

More  romantic,  however,  than  the  brief  history  of 
this  little  kingdom,  is  the  story  of  the  missionaries. 
They  builded  better  than  they  knew.  The  world  has 
now,  in  a  large  measure,  outgrown  the  theological 
dogmas  which  prompted  them  to  leave  America  and 
go  into  exile  in  "  the  darkness;  "  their  story  of  sav- 
ing the  perishing  souls  of  the  heathen  from  everlast- 
ing perdition  has  passed  into  the  literature  of  curious 
beliefs.  But  unconsciously  they  laid  the  foundations 
for  a  high  civilisation  in  which  the  natives  took  little 
part.  They  established  firmly  and  permanently  in 
these  islands  the  Anglo-Saxon  institutions  for  the 
regulation  and  protection  of  human  rights;  the  trial 
by  jury  and  the  common  law,  with  an  independent 
judiciary;  and  the  watchwords  of  political  liberty 
were  as  common  in  these  tropical  valleys  as  they 
were  at  the  base  of  Bunker's  Hill. 

When  annexation  to  the  United  States  took  place 
in  1898,  the  American  flag  did  not  rise  over  a  com- 
munity of  aliens,  but  over  one  of  original  Anglo- 

19 


290      AROUND    THE    WORLD 

Saxon  %force,  born  under  the  Southern  Cross,  which 
had  alone  for  half  a  century  held  itself  intact  against 
alien  influences.  At  the  tap  of  the  Federal  drum  it 
wheeled  into  line  and  took  up  its  march  to  the  music 
of  the  Union  without  an  awkward  step,  and  is  now 
the  advanced  picket  line  of  American  civilisation  in 
the  Pacific. 


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